Spring Pizza with Peas, Asparagus, Garlic Cream, and Prosciutto

For most of my cooking life I have been of the opinion that you can put pretty much anything on a pizza….  That a pizza should be viewed as a vehicle for your whims and the bounty of the moment.  But I admit that even I was surprised to hear about topping a pizza with peas. (I’m not sure why…maybe I thought they would roll off…). 

I decided I wanted to make a pizza with peas, so I looked into it a little further and found that peas are a fairly common topping for a style of pizza called “Portugeusa” that is served in Brazil.  You will of course find versions of this style of pizza all over the internet/blogosphere, but in general, it seems that that this pizza also typically includes ham, eggs, olives, onions and tomato sauce. 

I may someday try a true Pizza Portuguesa…but when I first heard of peas on pizza, I mostly just wanted to make a pizza with peas—one in keeping with my favored “pizza as vehicle” habits.  Peas are in season at the moment and they frequently appear on my table…in salads, pastas, pilafs, etc. 

As I was poking around to discover more about peas on pizza, I ran across a pizza at The Modern Proper that rang all my bells.  It was topped with white sauce, peas, goat cheese, and prosciutto.  A pizza like this is exactly what I had in mind when I decided to make one with peas.

At The Modern Proper, they use a garlic infused béchamel for the sauce.  This put me in mind of one of my favorite pizza sauces: reduced garlic cream. If you have never made a pizza with this sauce, and you make pizza regularly, you need to put it on your “to try” list.  It makes a great base for all kinds of pizzas.  I have posted one here that also includes mushrooms and asparagus.  And I shared one in my newsletter last summer that includes zucchini, olives and potatoes (another interesting starchy pizza topping).

Because asparagus was also in season when I read about peas on pizza, I decided to add asparagus to the mix.  Peas can be put on the pizza raw (or thawed, if using frozen).  And if the asparagus is cut properly for pizza (thinly, on a long bias), it doesn’t have to be cooked ahead either.  I also decided to add some thin, bias cut scallions (or spring onions—also in season at the moment) to the mix to add a little mild zip. 

The resulting pizza was quick (since nothing needs to be cooked ahead but the garlic cream), loaded with flavor…and totally seasonal.  If you keep seasonal vegetables on hand…cream and goat cheese in your fridge… and prosciutto in your freezer…this pizza constitutes an easy “pantry dinner.” 

I liked this pizza so much that I taught it in a recent re-launch of my online cooking classes.  In April I taught a Zoom cooking class through the Lawrence Public Library.  The structure of the class was different from my previous Zoom classes (which I had modeled after my pre-pandemic, in-person cooking classes).  It was just one simple recipe, taught in a one hour format over the pre-dinner hour so that people could cook along and then afterwards enjoy a delicious meal. 

The class was quite popular…so popular I decided to revisit the idea of Zoom classes.  I realize some of the appeal of this class was the fact that the library offered it for free.  But it occurred to me that the same format could be offered through my own platform for a price that was significantly lower than my previous offerings.  I settled on  $10…$7 for newsletter subscribers. 

As I mentioned…the spring pizza with peas, asparagus, garlic cream and prosciutto was the first outing of the new format (after the library).  It was very well-received…and people sent me some great pictures of the pizzas they made!  I hope to offer more classes like this as my schedule allows.  If you would like to be on the mailing list to receive announcements for upcoming classes, you can sign up here.  And if you are interested in seeing the recording of the pizza class, I will keep the recording available until I teach a new class.  You can purchase the recording here.

Spring Pizza with Garlic Cream, Peas, Asparagus, & Prosciutto

Garlic Cream:
1 T. unsalted butter
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced (or, in early summer use 1 stalk/head of green garlic—white/ivory and pale green parts—finely sliced)
salt & pepper
1 T. white wine (see notes)
1/4 c. heavy cream

1 recipe/10 oz. pizza dough made through the first rise and rested (recipe below)

1 scallion, root and tattered greens trimmed away (use as much of the white, pale green and dark green as you like)
2 oz. (trimmed weight) asparagus, thoroughly rinsed
2 oz. fresh peas (or frozen…thaw before using)
1/3 c. (1 oz.) finely grated Parmesan
1/2 to 1 t. olive oil
4 thin slices/sheets (2 oz.) prosciutto
3 oz. goat cheese, coarsely crumbled

An hour before baking the pizza, place a baking stone (if you have one) on the center rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 500°.

Make the garlic cream.  Place a tablespoon of butter along with a tablespoon of water in a small sauce pan and set over moderately low heat. When the butter has melted, add the garlic along with a good pinch of salt.  Gently stew the garlic until it is softened and the water has evaporated/been absorbed and the garlic has softened (about 5 minutes).  Add the white wine and continue to simmer until the wine is reduced and the garlic is sizzling gently in the butter again.  

Add the cream and simmer until thickened and reduced by one third.  You should have 3 or 4 tablespoons of a thick sauce.  Taste and season with salt and pepper; set aside.  

While the garlic cream cooks, prepare the toppings:  slice the scallion very thinly on a long bias.  

Place in a small bowl and cover with ice water.  Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.  Drain, rinse under running water, and blot well.  Slice the asparagus very thinly (1/8 inch thick) on a long bias.  

Place the crisped scallions, asparagus and peas in a medium-sized bowl.  Drizzle in a small amount of olive oil and season lightly with salt & pepper. Toss to coat. Add the Parmesan and toss again.

On a lightly floured surface, roll or stretch the dough out into a 12- to 13-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a rimless baking sheet or peel that has been dusted with semolina, fine cornmeal, or rice flour.

Spread the garlic cream over the crust, leaving a quarter to half inch border around the edges bare. 

Tear two or three of the sheets of prosciutto into rough 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces and arrange/ruffle evenly over the garlic cream.  Scatter the vegetable mixture over the garlic cream, distributing evenly.  Tear and arrange the remaining prosciutto over the vegetables.

Crumble the goat cheese over all.   

If using a pizza pan or baking sheet, place the pizza in its pan on the pizza stone in the pre-heated oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown on the bottom and the cheese is bubbling, about 8 to 10 minutes. To insure a crisp crust, after the crust has set (5 to 6 minutes), slide the pizza off of the pan to finish cooking directly on the pizza stone.

If you are using a pizza peel, slide the pizza directly onto the hot stone and bake until browned and bubbling (about 7 to 8 minutes).  In my oven, I usually rotate the pizza after about 5 minutes so it will bake evenly.

When the pizza is done, transfer to a cutting board.  Cut into wedges and serve.  (If not serving immediately—if making a second pizza, for example—transfer the uncut pizza to a wire rack so that the crust won't get soggy.)

(Garlic Cream adapted from Food & Wine)

Notes: 

• If you don’t have …or don’t want to use…wine, just continue to cook the garlic with water as needed until it is soft.  Before adding the cream, make sure the garlic is sizzling in the butter (i.e. all the liquid—whether wine or water—has evaporated off).
  

• You may of course use purchased dough instead of making your own. Just make sure you have 10 oz./285 grams.

 

Pizza Dough

1/2 cup (113g) warm water (100º-110º)
1 1/8 t. (1/2 package) active dry yeast
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups (145g to 170g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 T. olive oil
1/2 t. salt

Combine the water, yeast, and 3/4 cup (85g) of the flour in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add the oil, salt and another half cup (60g) of the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon to form a soft dough that holds its shape. Sprinkle some of the remaining flour on a smooth surface. Scrape the dough out of the bowl and sprinkle with a bit more flour. Knead the dough, adding just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking, until the dough is smooth and springs back when pressed lightly with a finger—about 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size—about 1 hour. Punch down the dough. At this point you may use the dough immediately or cover the bowl again with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 12 to 24 hours. Pull the dough out of the refrigerator to let it warm up a bit, about an hour before baking the pizza.

When ready to make the pizza, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a ball. Cover with a towel and let rest for 10 to 20 minutes. The dough is now ready to be shaped, topped and baked.

(Crust adapted from The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins)

Food Processor Method:  Place the water and yeast in a small bowl and let sit until the yeast has dissolved.  Place 160 grams (about 1 1/4 cups plus 2 T.) of the flour and salt in the food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse to blend.  Add the oil and yeast/water mixture and pulse until the dough is homogenous.  Begin to run the mixture in long pulses until the dough is smooth and elastic—it shouldn't take more than a minute.  If the dough seems wet and sticky, add some of the remaining 2 T. of flour a bit at a time, pulsing after each addition.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and give it a few kneads by hand.  Let rise as directed above.

Printable Version

A half recipe makes a nice little 8- to 9-inch pizza

Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake

I decided to serve a raspberry swirl cheesecake as the dessert for a recent pop-up dinner.  I didn’t have an exact recipe at hand, but I have a basic cheesecake formula that I like to tweak for most cheesecake type preparations.  I figured that I could look around at what others were doing by way of incorporating the raspberry swirl (or marble) to get some ideas…and then adjust my recipe accordingly.

As is almost always the case when I search for “what others are doing,” I find one main thing that most people are doing…and then a few outliers that are quite different.  I should say up front that my experience is that there is no guarantee that the thing most people are doing is correct…or will even work at all.  It is a sad fact that in our food blogging world, anyone can post a recipe…and if something is beautiful in a picture or done by a widely read blogger…that many people just post it again—whether it works or not.  

My main question as I looked at recipes was about whether or not to cook the sweetened raspberry purée.  Most people cook the purée (one or two even used jam).  But I didn’t find anyone who explained why they did it one way or the other.  From my perspective, the main argument in favor of not cooking the raspberry purée is that it will remain thinner and won’t tend to want to sink in the batter.  Creating a marbled batter is not always a straightforward thing.  If one of the components is a lot thicker/heavier than the other, it will sink…and you will end up with two layers of batter rather than two batters that are marbled.  Most cheesecake batters are sort of thin and pourable, so a thinner purée makes more sense.

The argument against using fresh, uncooked purée is that the flavor isn’t very concentrated.  And since there is nothing in the purée to make it “set” during the cooking process, you can’t add a lot of it.  It literally needs to be a thin ribbon—a suggestion of more.  In many marbled cakes/cheesecakes/etc. the portion being marbled in is a quarter to a third of the total batter.  This would never work with a fruit purée (the resulting cheesecake would fall apart when cut). 

You could of course mix some of the cheesecake batter into the raspberry purée/sauce/jam—and then marble this fruit batter back into the main batter.  (This is how chocolate marbled cheesecakes are made.)  But since I wanted my raspberry swirl to have a deep, jewel-tone character, this didn’t appeal to me.

At the other end of the spectrum from fresh purée is jam.  Jam’s flavor is concentrated and would therefore give you a lot of flavor punch for the quantity…but jam is cooked until quite thick and heavy.  I was certain it would sink. I didn’t even consider using jam for this reason.

So…in the end…what “most people” were doing was what I went with:  a lightly cooked sweetened purée of raspberries. It gave me a more concentrated flavor than fresh…but was still thin enough that it didn’t sink.  If you cook it too long (making it too thick and heavy), you can always add water back in. 

As far as the actual process of adding the swirl, I added it in two layers.  The reason for this is that you can add more purée if you tuck some of it in the middle.  Part of what makes marbled things beautiful is the contrast on the surface (one of the reasons I baked my cake in a wide shallow pan is to give more surface area).  If you add all of the purée to the top (where it will stay since you’ve gone to lengths to keep it from sinking) you won’t have as much “swirl”—you’ll have “blobs” of raspberry instead. 

To add the raspberry purée in layers:  First, add a scant half of the cheesecake batter to the prepared pan over the crust and spread it out into an even layer. Drizzle about a third of the purée evenly over this first layer of batter (I use a squirt bottle—but a drizzling from a spoon will work just fine).  There is no need to swirl this part in…adding the rest of the batter and swirling the second addition of raspberry will be sufficient. 

The tricky part is adding the remaining batter.  You can’t just pour it on and spread it out.  You have to add it a spoonful at a time, holding your spatula/spoon/(whatever you are using to transfer the batter) just above the batter and moving it as you do (sort of like laying paint on a surface), so that each addition covers a wide section of the drizzle.  When you are done adding the batter, you shouldn’t need to spread it—other than a nudge here and there—since you were effectively spreading it as you laid it in the pan.  All the drizzle should be covered.

Then, use the squirt bottle or a small spoon to dollop the remaining raspberry puree evenly over the surface.  Use the tip of a table knife or small palette knife to marble in the puree.  The marble/swirl is best made with wide sweeping motions…zigzags and loops that sweep from one side of the pan to the other. You only need to do three or four passes one way…and then three or four the other…with a possible final swirl to “correct” any solid blobs of raspberry or spots of cheesecake that need a bit of raspberry swirled into them.

Finally, you will notice that there is white chocolate in the cheesecake batter…but not in the name.  I suppose you could call it “White Chocolate Cheesecake with a Raspberry Swirl” if you wanted to.  But to be honest, it doesn’t really taste like white chocolate.  I mostly add white chocolate because it adds an unidentifiable ”something-something”—in both the texture and the flavor.  You will notice when you add it, that it gives the batter more body and a slightly pearly sheen.  It also adds a bit of sweetness that compliments the raspberry particularly well.  I think you could probably leave it out…but I wouldn’t.

Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake

Graham Cracker Crust:
5 oz. graham crackers, finely ground (to make a scant 1 1/2 cups crumbs)
3 T. granulated sugar
2 oz. (4 T.) unsalted butter, melted

Line a 9-inch square baking pan with 2 crisscrossed sheets of foil, leaving an overhang. Butter or spray the pan. Combine the crust ingredients until homogenous and press into the pan in a compact even layer. Bake in a pre-heated 350° oven until just beginning to brown—10 minutes. Cool.

Filling:
125 g. white chocolate, chopped
3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature
165 g. sugar (3/4 c. plus 1 T.)
2 T. all-purpose flour, sifted (15 g.)
1/8 t. salt
1/2 c. sour cream (121g.)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 t. vanilla
95 g. raspberry sauce (about 1/3 c.)

Set a large pot of water over high heat. When it is steaming, reduce the heat to very low and place the white chocolate in a bowl that is wider than the pot and place the bowl over the steaming water. Let the chocolate melt. Remove the bowl from the pot and set aside in a warm spot while you make the batter. Bring the pot of water to a boil and keep hot.

Briefly beat cream cheese to break up. Beat in the sugar until smooth; scrape the sides. Beat in the flour & salt; scrape the sides. Add the sour cream and beat in. Scrape the sides. Beat in the eggs and vanilla in two or three additions, just until smooth and fully incorporated. Add a quarter to a third of the batter to the melted chocolate and quickly stir in until smooth. Add this tempered white chocolate batter to the main batter and mix until thoroughly combined.

Scrape a scant half of the batter (a little over 500 grams) into the prepared pan. Using a squirt bottle with a medium tip, drizzle a couple of tablespoons (30 g) of the raspberry sauce over the batter. Carefully spoon the remaining batter into the pan…covering the drizzle completely. Using the squirt bottle, squeeze small dollops of the remaining 65 g of sauce evenly over the surface (6 by 6 works well). Use a table or small palette knife to swirl through.

Place the pan on a half-sheet pan and place on the oven rack in a pre-heated 325° oven. Pour in the reserved hot water to come up at least half as high as the batter in the pan. Bake until just set—about 50 to 55 minutes.  Lift the foil that is wrapped over the edges of the pan so that it is free to move as the cake shrinks while cooling. 

Cool the cake to room temperature (about 2 hours). Chill, uncovered, until cold (at least 2 hours, but cheesecake may be baked a day or two ahead…or even frozen).

To portion, lift the cold cake out of the pan using the overhang of foil. Cut the cake using a sharp, thin knife dipped in hot water (and wiped dry) in between cuts. First, trim the edges. Then cut into three strips. Cut each strip evenly into 3, 4 or 5 pieces depending on whether you want 9, 12 or 15 portions. You may also cut 18 buffet-sized portions by cutting 9 squares and then cutting each square in half on the diagonal.

If you like, drizzle some of the sauce on each plate and top each portion with a rosette of whipped cream and some fresh raspberries.

Raspberry Sauce

6 oz. raspberries, fresh or frozen
3 T. sugar
1/2 t. lemon juice

Purée and strain the raspberries. You should have a half to two-thirds cup of purée. Add the sugar and lemon juice and bring to a simmer in a small saucepan. Simmer for a few minutes until slightly thickened and darkened in color. Cool. Makes a scant half cup or 125g. sauce. If you have much less than this, simply add a little water to thin the purée back out.

Printable Version

Orecchiette with Broccoli, Chickpeas & Green Olives

Over the course of the past few years, canned chickpeas have become one of my favorite pantry staples. When we were encouraged to stock up a bit on supplies in March of 2020, canned chickpeas were on my list. But I was surprised by how I came to rely on them. They are nutritious…easy to use…and at home in a wide range of cuisines. They also take well to all kinds of cooking methods: they can be pureed, stewed, roasted, or sautéed. I add them to salads, grain pilafs/bowls, soups and stews, vegetable sauté/ragouts and pastas. If I use the last can, I immediately add them to my grocery list.

Like most beans, chickpeas are a bit bland on their own, so they pair well with strong flavors. I particularly love them with bitter things--like brassicas (like cauliflower, kale and broccoli), eggplant and tahini. They are also wonderful with tangy things—like tomatoes, capers and lemon…and salty things—like olives, Feta & Pecorino.

The pasta I’m sharing today features chickpeas and broccoli…with an exuberant mix of strong flavors: sweet caramelized red onion, aromatic and pungent rosemary and garlic, spicy hot pepper flakes, tangy green olives and salty pecorino. I have given the amounts that I use for the aromatic, spicy and tangy elements…but you should feel free to use a heavier hand, always remembering to keep the flavors in balance. The overall effect should be lively and flavorful…just the kind of pasta to warm you during the depths of winter.

The recipe is for just one portion…because these days, my cooking at home is almost always for just one. (As an aside—if you are interested in reading more about how I go about cooking in my small household, I encourage you to consider subscribing to my monthly newsletter: Notes from For Love of the Table.) If you are cooking for more than one, the recipe is easily multiplied to feed as many as you like.

When cooking more than one serving, you will obviously need a larger pan…but the direction given in the recipe will still apply: “choose a pan that will accommodate your vegetables in a snug single layer.” And as far as the cooking of the pasta is concerned, choose a pot that will allow the noodles to move freely in the water as they cook.

You’ll notice that a serving for one only uses a quarter of the can of chickpeas. Drained and rinsed, the rest of the can will keep just fine in an airtight container in the fridge. For longer storage, they can be frozen. They can be easily thawed by placing them in the fridge…or, if you’re in a hurry, by placing them in a sieve and running them under the tap. There is almost always a partial can of chickpeas in my freezer.

Orecchiette with Broccoli, Chickpeas & Castelvetrano Olives

75 to 80 g. (a scant 3 oz.) broccoli crowns
2 T. olive oil, divided
1/4 of a medium red onion (2 1/2 oz.), finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
Salt
1/2 t. minced fresh rosemary (see notes)
1/8 t. hot pepper flakes (see notes)
1 small clove of garlic, minced (see notes)
1/4 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (65 g.)
4 or 5 pitted Castelvetrano olives, quartered
75 g (mounded 3/4 c.) orecchiette
1/2 oz. coarsely grated Pecorino

Prepare the broccoli: Trim the florets away from the stems and cut into uniform, small (3/4- to 1-inch) florets. Trim the tough end off of the stalk (you should only need to trim away about a quarter inch or so—because you are using "crowns" the stalk portion should be almost entirely usable). Cut the trimmed stalks into rough 1/4-inch by 1-inch sticks (or just roughly chop).

In a small sauté pan (large enough to hold all the sauce ingredients) set over moderate heat, warm a 2 to 3 t. of the olive oil. Add the onion along with a pinch of salt (be careful with the added salt in this recipe…the olives and Pecorino are salty…and you will be cooking the broccoli in salty water). When the onion is sizzling nicely, reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, adding more oil as necessary if the pan seems dry—about 10 minutes. Uncover the pan, increase the heat a bit and cook until the onion has shrunk and is beginning to caramelize around the edges—another 5 minutes or so. If the onions seem dry as they cook, drizzle in a bit more of the olive oil.

When the onions are cooked as directed, add the rosemary, garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant. Drizzle in a little more oil and add the chickpeas, cooking until they begin to sizzle in the onions/oil. Remove from the heat and fold in the olives. Set aside in a warm place.

While the onions cook, bring a medium sized saucepan of well salted water (about a teaspoon per quart) to a boil. When the onions have about five minutes left to cook, add the broccoli stems. Boil for three minutes. Add the florets and continue to boil until the florets are tender—about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Lift out the broccoli (using a bowl sieve), shaking off the excess water as you do, and add to the pan with the chickpeas and onions.

Bring the water the broccoli was cooked in back to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente (8 minutes or so…depending on the brand). Scoop out and reserve a few tablespoons of the pasta water. Drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the pan it was cooked in and scrape in the broccoli chickpea mixture. Stir until everything is evenly distributed. Add a little past water if the pasta seems dry. Fold in the remaining olive oil (plus more if you like). Transfer to a plate and top with the Pecorino. Serves 1.

Notes:

• This recipe can obviously be multiplied to serve more than one. Simply choose a pan wide enough to hold all the ingredients in a snug, shallow (an inch?) layer.
• 75 grams of pasta is a sixth of a pound. If you want more pasta with your sauce, simply cook a little more.
• If your sauté pan is large enough, you may simply add the drained pasta to the sauté pan to toss it with the sauce. (My pan isn’t quite large enough).
• This pasta should be assertive: salty, spicy and aromatic. Feel free to use heaped measures of the rosemary, garlic and hot pepper flakes. I love olives, so I use at least 5 when I make this dish.
• Cauliflower would make a great substitution for all or part of the broccoli.

Printable Version

Cranberry & Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

I was sitting by the Christmas tree, enjoying a cup of coffee and a couple of Christmas cookies during the lull between Christmas and New Year’s, when I realized that I had intended to post the recipe for the very cookies I was enjoying.  I had hoped to make it happen before Christmas.  Oops.  At least I will get it done before the New Year.  And as a consequence, the recipe will be here for all the Christmases that are yet to come.

This particular recipe appeared in Gourmet magazine way back in 2006.  For many years, Gourmet magazine’s December issue was without fail a treasure trove of wonderful recipes for holiday cookies.  If you look through the Christmas cookies I’ve posted…or if you ever took one of my holiday cookie classes…you know that many of the recipes that I have shared were straight out of Gourmet.

Sadly with this recipe, the first time I made it, it was a bit of a failure.  The pictured cookies are neat and square.  Mine were misshapen and lumpy looking.  As someone who strives for neatness in cookies, this was disappointing to say the least.  

On the plus side, the cookies had a fantastic flavor.  I love cranberries and pistachio with orange.  But I probably wouldn’t have thought to add cinnamon to the mix.  It is just the right touch. 

I also love the sparkly and crunchy exterior coating of turbinado sugar.  As it turns out, this is a bit of a fussy step...and you can skip it and still have a pretty nice cookie.  But I think it's worth the effort.

The flavors...and the thought of how lovely these cookies could be…made me want to fix the recipe.  And to be honest, the recipe didn’t require a ton of tweaking.  As always with baked goods, the key to success is in the details.

As I looked at the recipe I realized they were simply slice and bake shortbread.  And since I have a delicious recipe for a slice a bake shortbread, I thought it would be worth comparing the two.  As it turned out, with the exception of the flour, the recipes were identical.  But frankly, it’s difficult to tell how much flour the original recipe called for since the recipe is in cups/measuring spoons instead of weights.  (I wrote a lengthy rant on this subject a few years ago.)  So the first thing I did to alter the recipe was to correct the amount of flour. 

The other thing that struck me as odd about the recipe was the instruction to cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  I suppose that once the amount of flour was corrected, that extended creaming would have produced a delicious cookie.  But I had shortbread in my head as I was looking at the recipe…and shortbread does not receive a lengthy creaming.  The purpose of creaming is aeration.  And shortbread doesn’t want aeration.  The dough just needs to be well amalgamated.  Many traditional recipes rub the butter into dry ingredients—dispensing with even a short creaming (for blending purposes) altogether.

Finally, I lowered the oven temperature a bit.  Shortbread bakes low and slow so it will be baked through…but still be lovely and pale.  The original recipe baked a fairly standard cookie temperature of 350°.  I reduced it to 325°. (Some recipes…for thick shortbread…bake at an even lower temperature.)

My adjusted recipe produced the cookie I had been imagining.  It has a nice crisp shortbread texture and a pale, light golden color that sets the pistachios and dried cranberries off nicely.  The intended flavors of the original still come through.  It is a delicious little cookie…perfect for a holiday platter.

 

Cranberry-Pistachio Slice & Bake Shortbread Cookies

 3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks/170 g.) unsalted butter, softened but cool
6 T. (75 g.) sugar
1/2 t. orange zest
1 3/4 c. (210 g.) all-purpose flour
3/8 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. (65 g.) pistachios, coarsely chopped
1/3 c. (54 g.) dried cranberries, coarsely chopped if “whole”

Finishing ingredients (optional):
1 large egg or white, beaten
Turbinado sugar for decorating 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, briefly cream the butter, sugar and orange zest…just to combine (it doesn’t need to be light & fluffy).  Add the flour, salt and cinnamon and mix on low speed until the flour is beginning to be absorbed.  

Add the pistachios and craisins and mix until the dough forms clumps.  

Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, forming a rough strip about 12 inches long.  Using the plastic wrap, press the dough into a rectangular, square or round “log.” Wrap tightly and chill until firm.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scatter the turbinado sugar in a strip on a piece of parchment (you’ll need about a quarter cup). Unwrap the log, brush with the egg and roll in the sugar, pressing to help the sugar adhere.  If the log softens during this operation, chill briefly to let it firm up again. 

Using a thin, sharp knife, slice the log into 1/4-inch-thick slices; 

place the cookies about an inch apart on the baking sheet. 

Bake until the cookies are set and just beginning to turn a very pale golden color—about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and let cookies cool on the sheets.  Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

(Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, December 2006)

Printable Version

 

Autumn Salad with Grapes, Celery, Blue Cheese & Candied Pepitas

Several years ago while I was choosing a bag of grapes at my local grocery store, the produce manager saw me and directed my attention to his display of red Scarlatta grapes.  He told me they were just in—first of the new crop California grapes—and were especially good.  

I was surprised—I had always treated grapes as season-less.  Like broccoli, grapes of pretty good quality are almost always available.  But of course they do have a season.  I was aware that the harvest for wine grapes was in the fall (I was even working in Provence one year during the harvest!).   But as much as I think about seasonal eating, I'm embarrassed to admit that I had never really thought about table grapes being a fall item. 

The grapes I took home that day were—just as the produce manager had said—particularly good.  I still eat grapes year round (the miracle of shipping…), but ever since that moment in the produce aisle, I make note of when the California crop begins to hit the stores.  This is usually sometime in September.  (Sadly, they disappear in late December/early January.)  These grapes are always worth seeking out.

Unsurprisingly, grapes are good partners for other foods that share their season:  Figs…and nuts (most of which are harvested in the fall)...  Winter squashes…  Apples and pears...  Brussels sprouts, cabbage and chicories (endive, radicchio).  If you are in the habit of just purchasing grapes for snacking…or adding to your holiday fruit and cheese platters…you might consider branching out a bit by adding them to some of your fall salads.  

This year, right when the new crop first began to appear, I prepared a salad that featured grapes and some of these other autumn foods (celery, pepitas, spinach and radicchio) for one of my pop up dinners.

I loved the salad so much I have made it several times for myself since.  And I took it as my contribution to Thanksgiving dinner this year.  I will probably continue to make it throughout the cold months—even after the California crop has disappeared for the year.  If you are craving something fresh, crunchy, and juicy to counterbalance all the rich fare of the current season, this salad will be just the thing.  

Autumn Salad with Grapes, Celery, Blue Cheese & Candied Pepitas

2 oz. stemmed baby spinach
4 oz. trimmed Little Gem (see notes) lettuce, cut crosswise in 1-inch strips, or torn into bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 oz. cored Radicchio, cut crosswise in 1/2-inch strips, or torn into bite-sized pieces
2/3 lb. red grapes, halved (about 2 cups)
4 oz. trimmed celery, sliced thinly (1/8-inch) on a slight diagonal (about 1 cup)
3 1/2 oz. Gorgonzola Piccante, Roquefort, or other crumbly, sharp blue
Salt & freshly ground pepper
1/2 c. Cider-Honey Vinaigrette
1/3 c. Candied Pepitas

Place the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl.  Add half to three quarters of the blue cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle in 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the vinaigrette and toss well.  Mound the salad on a large platter or on individual plates.  Crumble the remaining blue cheese over.  Drizzle with more vinaigrette, if you like.  Scatter the pepitas over all.

Makes 4 large salads or 6 to 8 side salads.

Note:  Little Gem lettuce is a cross between Romaine and Bibb.  It has more crunch than Bibb...and is more tender than Romaine.  If you are not able to find it, you may use Artisan Romaine Hearts, or plain Romaine hearts.

Cider-Honey Vinaigrette

1/4 c. (60 g.) apple cider vinegar
2 T. (42 g.) honey
1 T. (14 g.) Dijon mustard
5/8 t. kosher salt
5 T. olive oil
5 T. canola oil (or use olive oil) 

Place the first four ingredients in a small bowl.  Whisk until smooth.  Drizzle in the oils, whisking constantly to form an emulsion.  Taste and correct the seasoning with salt and more vinegar or oil as necessary.  The vinaigrette should be tangy and sweet.

Makes a generous cup.  This is more than you need for the salad, but the vinaigrette keeps well in a jar in the fridge and is wonderful on salads featuring autumn fruits and/or roasted winter squash.

Candied Pepitas

1 T. sugar
1/4 t. kosher salt
Pinch of cayenne (to taste)
2 t. unsalted butter
1/2 c. raw pumpkin seeds
1 t. honey

Combine the sugar, salt and cayenne in a small ramekin and set aside.  Spray a plate or small sheet pan with pan spray (or brush lightly with oil).  Set aside.

In a small non-stick sauté pan set over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the pumpkin seeds and toss to coat.  Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the pepitas and toss to coat.  Continue to cook, stirring and tossing until the sugar has melted and the pumpkin seeds are popping a bit and are lightly colored.  Remove the pan from the heat.  Wait 30 seconds.  Drizzle in the honey and toss to coat.

Spread the candied pepitas out on the prepared plate/pan and let cool—stirring occasionally as they cool so that they will be separate rather than clumpy.  

Store the candied pepitas in an airtight container at room temperature.

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