My gadget-happy husband saw the Breville Pizza oven in a Williams-Sonoma catalog (photo) and decided it was just what we needed. I have tried all kinds of pizza stones, bricks, cast iron etc. in the oven and on the grill, but was never totally happy with the results. I wasn't so sure this would work either. Was I wrong! This oven has enabled me to make delicious, crisp-crusted pizza every time. At $149 from Williams-Sonoma I think it paid for itself in less than 3 months!
Not only is it very inexpensive to make pizza at home, it's much healthier since you control the fat content of what goes into it. You can also put anything you like on top - just make sure you don't overdo the toppings!
The idea of rolling the dough out on parchment and then sliding it onto the stone is nothing short of brilliant - it saves so much mess.
Breville has their own video for using the oven. I have found that it is not necessary to prick the edges of the dough as long as I roll it out quite thinly. Also, there is a "viewing" window on top of the oven. After a few uses you can't see through it but, by the time that happens, you will have the timing down just right so that it's not really necessary!
Here is the recipe for the dough I use:
4 cups flour
2¼ teaspoons yeast
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ cups hot water - about 110º
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, add water and stir until dough forms. Turn dough out onto the counter and knead until smooth and elastic - you may need a little extra flour to dust the dough and your hands if the dough is sticky. This takes about 10 minutes. If you prefer, you can do this in a mixer using the dough hook. Place in a lightly oiled clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size.
Punch dough down lightly and divide evenly into four pieces. Place each piece on a lightly floured square of parchment paper, cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise again.
Roll the dough out on a large square of parchment paper, add the toppings of your choice and place in the preheated oven for 2 minutes. Remove the parchment and continue cooking for 5 or 6 minutes or until pizza is cooked and lightly browned on top.
I used traditional tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmegiano cheese. For a white pizza, I spread the dough with a paste of roasted garlic*, topped that with mozzarella, Parmegiano and ricotta cheeses.
A family favorite is pizza spread with fig jam and topped with sliced pear and gorgonzola cheese (photo right).
I am sure you can come up with some great variations on these.
*To roast garlic, cut off the top of a whole head of garlic, place on a square of foil large enough to enclose it entirely and drizzle with olive oil. Place in a 350º oven and cook for about an hour. Allow to cool and just squeeze out the garlic. I mash it thoroughly with a little olive oil. It keeps for a week or so in the refrigerator and can be frozen.
I got this Chinese Barbecued Chicken recipe from one of our daughters who got it from a newspaper years ago. The original was good, but a little tweaking made it even better. You can use any cut of chicken you like with this: wings, thighs, drumsticks - with or without skin.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup hoisin sauce 3 tablespoons soy sauce 3 tablespoons Chinese rice wine (you can substitute white wine or dry sherry) 2 tablespoons ketchup 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2 tablespoons grated ginger
Mix all ingredients well and place in a plastic bag. Add chicken and marinate for several hours or overnight.
Remove chicken, reserving marinade. Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and place chicken on the rack (photo above right). Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 35 minutes or until chicken is done, turning once. Timing will depend on what cut of chicken you are using. Chicken should be at 165 degrees when it is done.
While chicken is cooking, place reserved marinade in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes to reduce. Use to baste chicken during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
NOTE: it is essential to thoroughly boil the reserved marinade to avoid any contamination from the uncooked chicken.
Tastes great hot or at room temperature. Here is the video demonstration:
With blackberries in season, what better to make than apple-blackberry crumbles! Just substitute 1/2 lb. of blackberries for apples in my apple crumble recipe.
Here is the original apple crumble video demonstration:
It's been a while since I have found a cookbook I could recommend. With so much information on the Internet and so many one-topic books, it's difficult to justify spending the money. But...there is a book which I wholeheartedly recommend. My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz. This is not just a cookbook, it's a visit to Paris. It's sights, sounds, smells and everything else Paris. Not just recipes, although they are all wonderful, the book will transport you to the City of Lights. Whether you decide to cook any of the recipes - and I don't know which pick first - this is a book to enjoy from cover to cover. The recipes are accessible, unlike some other French books I have seen lately, and all are doable.
Here is a chef's secret for producing perfect poached eggs. If you don't have access to eggs freshly plucked from under a hen in you own back yard, the whites in purchased eggs will already have begun to thin out. This thin part is what produces those wispy bits of white when you poach eggs. No amount of vinegar, no rapidly spinning whirlpool of water will persuade them to coagulate into a neat shape. At best, you will have to trim them once they are cooked. But, if you take a moment to drop the egg into a strainer and allow the watery white to drain away, you will get a perfect egg every time. After poaching for two and a half to three minutes, they are ready to serve or to be placed in a bowl of iced water to be used later. Also see Eggs Benedict recipe and video. WATCH VIDEO DEMONSTRATION:
Hollandaise Sauce is one of the great classic sauces. It has a reputation for being finicky to make but all it really needs is your constant attention. A heavy round-bottomed pan, called a saucier, is a great asset since there are no corners for the sauce to lurk in and overcook. But if you are careful to get your whisk into the corners of your pan, you can make it in any pan.
Whisking the eggs with lemon juice - fresh please! - and water until they are thick enough to coat the back of a spoon is the important first step. Once you have accomplished that, add the clarified butter and drop or two at a time to start with and then a little more quickly, whisking all the time and you have a perfect Hollandaise.
In addition to Eggs Benedict, Hollandaise is great with asparagus and broccoli.
You can vary it by replacing the water with orange juice in the beginning step, and adding an addition tablespoon of orange juice and a teaspoon of finely grated orange zest at the end with the salt and pepper. You now have Sauce Maltaise!
Producing Eggs Benedict for a group for brunch can be a daunting prospect. However, when you break down the steps and do some of them ahead, the dish becomes much more manageable. I like to poach my eggs and clarify the butter the day before. Yes, you can poach eggs ahead - you simply drop them into a bowl of iced water when they are cooked. When you are ready to use them, drain the cold water and replace it with hot - not boiling - water and allow them to sit for a few minutes.
Breaking the raw eggs into a sieve and allowing the watery part of the white to drain away makes for a perfectly shaped poached egg without any of those stray, wispy bits of white that need to be trimmed.
Clarified butter is easily made in the microwave. I like this method because I can see when the milk solids have settled. Apart from use in Hollandaise Sauce, clarified butter is great for frying. It can take a higher heat because it is the milk solids which burn and cause black spots when you use whole butter to fry. It is also promoted as being healthier.
Hollandaise Sauce is one of the great classic sauces. It has a reputation for being finicky to make but all it really needs is your constant attention. A heavy round-bottomed pan, called a saucier, is a great asset since there are no corners for the sauce to lurk in and overcook. But if you are careful to get your whisk into the corners of your pan, you can make it in any pan. Whisking the eggs with lemon juice - fresh please! - and water until they are thick enough to coat the back of a spoon is the important first step. Once you have accomplished that, add the clarified butter and drop or two at a time to start with and then a little more quickly, whisking all the time and you have a perfect Hollandaise.
In addition to Eggs Benedict, Hollandaise is great with asparagus and broccoli.
You can vary it by replacing the water with orange juice in the beginning step, and adding an addition tablespoon of orange juice and a teaspoon of finely grated orange zest at the end with the salt and pepper. You now have Sauce Maltaise!
Warm your poached eggs, toast English Muffins, heat some Canadian Bacon and you are ready to serve Eggs Benedict.
A great dessert for a cold winter's day. Easier to make than pie and just as good. Perfect for a beginning baker.
Apple Crumble
For the Crumble:
2 ¼ cups flour
¾ cup unrefined brown sugar (demerara)
7 ounces butter, cubed, at room temperature
1 cup crushed Amaretti cookies
For the filling:
1½ lbs. apples
¼ cup unrefined brown sugar, or to taste
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and flour and gradually rub in the butter cubes using your fingers until mixture resembles crumbs. Toss in the crushed cookies.
Peel and dice apples, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon and toss with apples.
Place in a buttered 2 quart baking dish, or individual dishes, top with crumbs and bake at 350° for 40 to 45 minutes or until bubbly. Allow to cool slightly and serve with vanilla ice-cream.
The crumble freezes well.
Notes: If you can't find Demerara sugar, substitute brown sugar. If you can't find Amaretti, ginger snaps would work well or you can simply eliminate the cookies altogether.
You can also make the crumble in a food processor but you would want the butter to be very cold.
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