August 08, 2004

Grilled Strawberry and Goat Cheese Dessert Pizza

I sort of made this other night. (Except I used pre-made dough, added blueberries to the strawberries, and substituted cocnut rum for the brandy... it's the same general idea).

Chef Dave's Grilled Strawberry and Goat Cheese Dessert Pizza Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2002

1 (1/4-ounce) packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 pound fresh strawberries, rinsed and patted dry, hulled, and thinly sliced
1/4 cup orange liqueur
2 tablespoons sugar
8 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon Armagnac or brandy
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 fresh mint leaves, torn into pieces

To make the crusts, in a medium bowl, combine the yeast, water, and 1 tablespoon of the flour. Whisk to blend. Let sit until the mixture becomes slightly foamy, about 5 minutes.

Combine the remaining flour and salt in a large bowl and stir to blend. Add the yeast mixture, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and the cream. Stir well with a heavy wooden spoon until it begins to come together and pull away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4 to 5 minutes into a smooth, but slightly sticky dough. Oil a clean bowl with 1 teaspoon of the oil and turn the dough in the oil to lightly coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise until doubled in size in a warm, draft-free place, about 40 minutes.

Lightly grease a baking sheet with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of oil. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and form into balls. Place on the greased sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

Combine the strawberries, orange liqueur, and sugar in a medium bowl, and toss to coat evenly.

Clean a grill very well with a brush, and lightly grease with vegetable oil. Preheat the grill to medium heat.

Combine the goat cheese and 3 tablespoons honey in a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth. (also the brandy as I vaguely recall from the show)

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll each ball into a 10-inch round on a lightly floured pizza paddle or large chopping board. Transfer to the grill and cook on 1 side until golden brown, turning with a spatula to mark evenly, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the grill and place, cooked side up on, on a pizza paddle or large chopping board.

Spread half of the goat cheese mixture across each piece of crust using a rubber spatula. Spread half of the berries across the top, leaving the liquid in the bottom of the bowl. Transfer the pizzas to the grill, cover, and cook until golden brown, rotating with a spatula to keep from burning, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to serving plates, sprinkle each with a pinch of black pepper and half of the mint leaves. Drizzle each pizza with 1 teaspoon of the remaining honey and serve.

Alternately, place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees F.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out into a 10-inch round on a lightly floured pizza paddle or large chopping board. Make "dimples" with your fingertips on the top of the dough. Spread half of the goat cheese mixture across the pizza using a rubber spatula. Spread half of the berries across the top of the pizza, leaving the liquid in the bottom of the bowl. Repeat with the remaining dough, goat cheese, and strawberries.

Transfer to the pizza stone (or 2 heavy baking sheets) and bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to serving plates. Sprinkle a pinch of the black pepper and half of the mint leaves over the top of each pizza, and drizzle each with 1 teaspoon of the remaining honey. Serve.

Via Dee

Posted by mel at 01:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Cheesy Potatoes

Ok this is so easy it doesn't even really need a recipe.. I was just looking for something new to do with potatoes. I used light sour cream and light cream cheese and only half the cream cheese it called for since I thought that was really a lot. Ok and I used quite a bit of garlic. Scallions would be good in here too.. and bacon. These could be crack potatoes though, so good. And yes I'm posting easy recipes, it's a stretch for me to handle more than toast some days :P.

5 large potatoes
1 cup sour cream
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 pinch garlic salt
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place potatoes in a large pot of salted boiling water, bring water back to a boil. Cook until potatoes are tender, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well. Let cool.
3. When potatoes are cooled, cut them into small chunks. Using an electric blender, whip potatoes with sour cream, cream cheese and garlic salt. Place mixture in a 9x13 inch casserole dish. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese.
4. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Makes 6 servings

From Carla

Posted by mel at 01:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Chocolate praline layer cake

I tried a couple of easy recipes I found online recently and was going to post about them but forgot until now.. so just thought I'd share! The first is just an easy way to kick up a boxed cake mix (devils food) and it was sooo good.. the praline layer was all chewy carmelly goodness.. Mmm :9. I used whipped buttercream icing instead of whipped cream as posted, since some peoples' comments said they'd prefer a little heartier:

Chocolate praline layer cake:

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix with pudding
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

And unless you opt for other icing:
1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract



1 Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a saucepan, combine the butter or margarine, 1/4 c whipping cream and brown sugar. Cook over low heat until the butter is just melted, stirring occasionally. Pour into two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans. Sprinkle evenly with the chopped pecans.

2 In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, oil and eggs at low speed until moistened. Beat 2 minutes at the highest speed. Carefully spoon the batter over the pecan mixture.

3 Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched in the center. Cool 5 minutes. Remove from the pans and cool completely.

4 In a small bowl, beat the 1 3/4 cups whipping cream until soft peaks form. Blend in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until stiff peaks form.

5 To assemble the cake, place one layer on a serving plate, praline side up. Spread with half of the whipped cream. Top with the second layer. Frost with the remaining whipped cream.. Store in refrigerator.

From Carla

Posted by mel at 01:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack