Tortilla Pizza

Usually when Dave and I make pizza, we get the fresh dough from the supermarket or local deli and rock the pizza stone.  Of course, the result is always delicious (especially when we add the cornmeal underneath the crust...love that!).  

However, if we are short on time, this recipe is a great stand in!  Made with flour tortillas and cooked in a cast iron skillet, the total preparation AND cook time goes down to about 10 minutes.

Last night - Super Bowl Sunday - we made 2 varieties of this tortilla pizza (and no, we did not watch the game).  Dave made the point that caramelizing onions defeated the whole "quick and easy" idea, but it was tasty nonetheless.  

Ingredients

Large flour tortillas

Pizza stuff (sauce, cheese, toppings, etc)

Directions:

• Preheat the broiler
• On the stove top, heat a small amount of oil in a cast iron pan, over high heat until it starts to shimmer.

• Once hot, drop the heat to low and spread around the oil with a paper towel, absorbing any excess.

• Place a tortilla in the pan, with the small bubbles facing down

In the pic above, the small bubbles are on the left, and the large bubbles are on the right.

The large bubbles should be facing up.

• Add your toppings!  Our first pizza used pizza sauce, with mozzarella and Pecorino Romano cheeses.  We also threw on some hot pepper flakes.

• By this point, the cheese will start to melt and the bottom will crisp up a bit.  Now it's time for the broiler!

• Cook under the broiler for about 1-3 minutes.  Ours were done in 1 min 30 seconds.

The pizza ends up so crispy that you can hold the whole thing without it flopping over!!

Our second variety uses this awesome fig jam we picked up at Wegman's:

I caramelized some onions...

...then deglazed the pan with beer:

 I spread a thin layer of the fig jam onto the tortilla, followed by the onions and cheeses.  This one was a little sweet for me, but Dave loved it!

Pizza Hats

Ingredients

Large flour tortillas

Pizza stuff (sauce, cheese, toppings, etc)

Directions: 

1. Preheat the broiler 
2. On the stove top, heat a small amount of oil in a cast iron pan, over high heat until it starts to shimmer. Once hot, drop the heat to low and spread around the oil with a paper towel, absorbing any excess. 
3. Place a tortilla in the pan, with the small bubbles facing down 
4. Add your sauce and toppings. 
5. Cook under the broiler for about 1-3 minutes. Check it to make sure it doesn't burn!

Charred Corn Crepes

Dave had purchased some corn on the cob, and we decided to use it for this recipe!  Scroll down a bit, and you'll also find a video :)  Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients:

2 ears of corn on the cob

4 tbs melted butter

1 cup flour

2 cups milk (I used almond milk, because that's what we had)

4 eggs

1 tsp salt

butter for the pan

for serving:

queso fresco (or other salty cheese)

sour cream

tomatoes

chili powder (optional)

lime

Directions:

• Husk your corn, and allow it to char over an open flame

• Use tongs to rotate the corn until cooked and blackened.

The corn will pop as it is cooking!  I filmed a video so you could see what I mean:

(watch video below, or in HD on YouTube)

• Use a knife to cut off the kernels from both ears of corn.

• Transfer corn to a food processor, and pour melted butter on top.  I had to do this in 2 stages because we have a small food processor.  Allow it to cool a bit, then blend.

It should look like this- still a bit chunky!

• Add flour, milk, eggs, and salt, and mix well.   I eventually transferred the mixture to a large bowl to make mixing easier.

This picture was a tough one to take.  One hand was holding the measuring cup, one hand was holding the chopstick, and one hand was holding the camera....?  Ahh- the magic of cooking!

Not necessary, but fun to have: a crepe ladle!

• Heat a skillet over medium heat, and coat with butter.  I put some in the middle and then spread it around with a paper towel.

• Pour some batter into the center of the skillet, and tilt it until you have a circle (or, a rustic circle like mine!)  Cook until the edges start to brown slightly, then flip and cook the other side for another 20 or 30 seconds.

• Transfer your cooked crepes to a plate lined with paper towel.

• To serve, alternate crepes, sour cream, and cheese until you have a lovely stack.  Throw on some chopped tomatoes, and squeeze on a bit of lime juice.

We ate this like a pie as you can see in the photo above, but when we ate it the next night (there was leftover crepe batter), we rolled them like burritos.  That was a lot easier! :)

Ingredients: 

2 ears of corn on the cob 

4 tbs melted butter 

1 cup flour 

2 cups milk

4 eggs 

1 tsp salt 

butter for the pan 

for serving: 

queso fresco (or other salty cheese) 

sour cream 

tomatoes 

chili powder (optional) 

lime 

Directions: 

1. Husk your corn, and allow it to char over an open flame Use tongs to rotate the corn until cooked and blackened. 
2. Use a knife to cut off the kernels from both ears of corn. 
3. Transfer corn to a food processor, and pour melted butter on top.  Allow it to cool a bit, then blend. 
4. Add flour, milk, eggs, and salt, and mix well. 
5. Heat a skillet over medium heat, and coat with a thin layer of butter. 
6. Pour some batter into the center of the skillet, and tilt it until you have a circle 
7. Cook until the edges start to brown slightly, then flip and cook the other side for another 20 or 30 seconds. Transfer your cooked crepes to a plate lined with paper towel. 
8. To serve, alternate crepes, sour cream, and cheese until you have a lovely stack. Add chopped tomatoes, and squeeze a bit of lime juice on top.

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

I have learned that this is not an official ricotta because of the way it is prepared, but it is similar and tastes incredible.  It was so easy, that I can't wait to make it again, with a slight adjustment (see below)

Ingredients (for one large cup of ricotta):
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (**or 1 1/2 tbs lemon juice + 1 1/2 tbs white vinegar, see note)

Directions:

1. Pour the milk, cream and salt into a 3-quart nonreactive saucepan, and attach a candy or deep-fry thermometer. 
2. Heat the milk to 190°F, stirring it occasionally to keep it from scorching on the bottom. 
3. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, then stir it once or twice, gently and slowly. 
4. Let the pot sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.  While you wait, line a colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl (to catch the whey). I did not have cheesecloth, so I lined the colander with a coffee filter. 
5. Pour the curds and whey into the colander and let the curds strain for at least an hour. I let mine strain for about 3 hours. (It will firm as it cools, so do not judge its final texture by what you have in your cheesecloth.)  You can discard the whey, or use it for something else.
6. Place ricotta in an airtight container, and refrigerate until ready to use.

**Note: Using pure lemon juice as my only acid did impart a fresh hint of lemony flavor.  I did some research and found that cutting back some of the lemon and replacing it with vinegar will give you a more neutral flavor. I think I'll try that one next time, then report back! The lemon tasted delicious in the ricotta, but you might not always want that flavor, ya know?

I put some ricotta on a cracker with freshly cracked black pepper and a dollop of olive oil.  I also just ate it by itself with a spoon :)  In addition, you can spread it onto a crostini and drizzle on a bit of honey.  OR if you are really cool, make some cannoli crepes. Dude, the possibilities are endless.

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Coconut Spice Cheesecake Bars

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dave and I are so happy that his parents are visiting for the holiday! We wanted to try out a new dessert, so I made these tasty bars.  I've tweaked some of the amounts from the original recipe, which I updated below.

Ingredients
1 box spice cake mix (we used Duncan Hines)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon water, optional if necessary
3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut flakes
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 can (14-ounces) sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup cream cheese, softened (I used whipped cream cheese. Add more if it tastes too sweet)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a 9-by-13 inch pan by lining it with aluminum foil and then placing a piece of parchment cut to the size of the bottom of the pan. Spray with cooking spray.  
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, butter, egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix. The batter will be extremely thick and will be difficult to combine, but keep stirring or use your fingers and knead it together, adding the water if necessary. 
3. Press the dough it into the prepared pan. It will be tacky, sticky, and a bit tricky to work with, but keep pressing, spreading, and finessing it. 
4. Sprinkle the coconut evenly over the dough, then sprinkle the chocolate chips and white chocolate chips evenly over the dough.
5. In a mixing bowl (the same one from the cake mix is fine), combine the sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla and stir until well combined, and pour mixture evenly over dough, using a spatula to even it if necessary. 
6. Bake for 28 to 31 minutes, or until edges of bars begin to brown and pull away slightly from the sides of the pan, taking care not to overbake. Note that the middle will not seem very well set and will be jiggly upon removing from oven and that is okay, you want to keep these gooey. They will continue to set up more after they have cooled. 
7. Allow bars to cool well before slicing and serving. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze for up to three months.

Here's what they looked like before I poured on the cheesecake mixture, and another shot of them on our new buffet table :)

Recipe adapted from Averie Cooks

Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese

Umm...these are totally spicy.  As in, too hot for Dave and me to handle (and I have a fairly high tolerance for heat!)

I'll certainly be making these again, since they were delicious, but with a lot less jalapeno :)

Ingredients:
5 jalapeno peppers (this is too many peppers. See above)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (we accidentally used salted)
3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened (we used low fat)
1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
4 slices bread

Directions:

1. Char jalapeno skins by placing them over a low open flame, and rotating them until blackened all around.  You can also place jalapenos under the broiler and toast until blackened on all sides.  (see photos below) 
2. Remove from the flame (or oven), and allow the peppers to steam.  I placed my hot and blackened peppers in a small pot with the lid on.  You can also loosely wrap the peppers in foil.    
3. After peppers have steamed for about 10 minutes, place on a clean work surface.  Use the sharp edge of a knife to scrape the skin off the peppers.  Once clean of skin, chop and set aside. *note: It’s best to touch the peppers as little as possible, or wear plastic gloves.
4. For each sandwich, butter one side of each slice of bread.  Flip the bread so the butter is facing down.  Spread half of the cream cheese on one of the bread slices.  Sprinkle diced jalapenos atop the cream cheese.  Place half of the shredded cheese atop the jalapenos and cream cheese.  Top with remaining bread slice, butter side up. Repeat for second sandwich.
5. Grill sandwiches in a non-stick saute pan over medium heat.  Flip and cook until golden brown on each side.  Slice in half and serve immediately.

....and one more shot of the sandwich (I know- I broke every food photography "rule" in this shot- I was too close to the food, the angle was off, and there were stray crumbs left on the plate. I was just too hungry to care at the time!)

Recipe from Joy the Baker

Whipped Feta and Roasted Red Pepper Dip

A nice and simple little dip :)

Ingredients
10 oz feta
2 roasted red bell pepper, skin peeled
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic (I think I did a little less)
1 tsp Tabasco garlic red pepper sauce
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt to taste

Directions

1. Add the feta, roasted red bell pepper, olive oil, garlic, Tabasco, and red pepper flakes to a food processor. 
2. Pulse for about 60 seconds and taste. Season with salt as needed
3.  Serve with toasted pita chips or celery and enjoy!

Recipe from What's Gaby Cooking