Friday Night

There was a time in my life when I hated pizza. It was childhood ignorance and the fear of trying new things, but by the time I was in third grade this had changed, which is fortunate since many years later I find myself about to marry a serious pizza lover. While I wouldn't eat pizza for every meal, as I'm sure Ray would if he had the chance, I do really enjoy a slice or a few.

Drawing on childhood traditions we've established a Friday-night-Pizza-night at our place. With some frequency we make pizza the focus of our dinner on Friday night. Last week Ray managed to pedal up the hill with a pizza from our favorite local place. While bringing an entire pizza home on a bicycle is a sure way to impress me (especially if you bring beer and gelato as well) I also delight in making pizza from scratch in our own oven. I'm not sure what is so satisfying about making pizza dough, probably the simplicity of mixing and kneading and then watching the combination of flour, water, salt, oil and honey expand as the yeast greedily eats and grows. This alchemy is further transformed and when the smell of crisping dough and bubbling cheese reaches well outside the kitchen, there is the anticipation of opening the oven to see a meal that is almost ready.


There are so many recipes out there for pizza dough. Its possible to get quite complex in the quest for a fabulous home made pizza. For a friday night dinner at home, though, I rarely feel compelled to agonize over making the perfect dough. The one that I have been using recently is one of the is straightforward, fairly simple and really quite good. Its really hard to go wrong when you take part in this process and end up with something so crisp, chewy, melty and flavorful that comes steaming hot out of your oven, no matter what day or night of the week.

This recipe is adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone. It calls for some whole wheat flour which can be optional if you aren't a fan. I always add at least some whole wheat flour to my dough because I find the flavor more interesting and I often try to make things a bit more wholesome.It makes enough dough for two 12-14 inch pizzas. I usually divide it in half and make just one pizza, saving the rest for another pizza, cinnamon rolls, or foccacia. If you like a thicker dough you may only make one pizza or two smaller ones. Since I like a thinner, crisper crust, I make sure that the dough is on the wetter, tackier side.

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 to 1 cup whole wheat flour (add more or less as you like)
3 to 3 1/2 cups unbleached white flour (adjust depending on how much wheat you add)

Pour the water into a mixing bowl and add the yeast, leave this until the mixture is foamy (about 10 minutes). Add the olive oil, then the whole wheat flour and salt. Stir until combined, then add enough white flour to form a shaggy dough. Knead until smooth, adding a little more flour to keep the dough from sticking. For a lighter, crisper crust keep the dough moist and slightly tacky.

Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover it. Let it rise until doubled in size, about 40-60 minutes (If your kitchen is as chilly as mine this time of year, warm the oven slightly then turn it off. Leave the dough in here to rise in a warm, draft-free spot). Turn the dough onto the counter and divide it into the number of pizzas that you want to make. Let these rise for another 20-30 minutes, if you can wait that long to assemble your pizza. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Begin shaping your dough into circle and roll or stretch it into a circle until it is 1/4 inch thick (or the thickness you desire). Dust a peel with cornmeal, or lightly coat a pan in olive oil and lay the dough onto it. Cover with your choice of sauce, cheese and other toppings. Bake in the oven until the cheese is golden brown and the dough is crispy (about 15 minutes).

Some of my favorite topping combinations include: mozzarella, goat cheese, delicata squash and caramelized onions; fresh tomatoes, fresh spinach and ricotta; broccoli, pesto, red peppers and mozzarella. Yum.

Spoonable

My sister loves small spoons. Not a teaspoon versus a tablespoon, but spoons that take dainty and genteel to the extreme. Spoons that require a different grip than a full sized one. Spoons that can only scoop up a small taste of something, usually sweet, soft, airy, creamy and certainly so decadent and precious that they must be savored. A small spoon is a great way to savor this dessert. I'm sure tiny utensils could be used for meals other than dessert. Eating something that is so flavorful that it tickles and tantalizes the taste buds and tongue makes me want to fully enjoy and appreciate each bite. I could use a miniature fork and nibble at it, but usually I am able to slow down and take in the flavors and textures.

Dessert, on the other hand, can be greatly enhanced with dainty silverware. I wouldn't eat a slice of apple pie with a small spoon, or a berry crisp, or even an ice cream sundae. But desserts that are delicate and rich are better licked up in little quantities, delivered by something that is disporportionate to the amazing taste. I do have to agree with Carrie, that the right utensil does enhance the experience.

When it comes down to it, though, the utensil isn't crucial. Its the dessert that really matters. This was certainly the case yesterday when a certain cupid related holiday enticed me to make something involving lots and lots of chocolate.


I had wanted to make something deep and dark all week, but didn't really get time until yesterday afternoon when I got home from work after strolling through the city which was, according to yearly tradition, plastered with hearts. I thought I might make a flourless chocolate cake or something molten, but time and energy was waning and remembered a recipe for chocolate mousse that I had been saving since last year.


I found this recipe in a sample issue of Cook's Illustrated and it is the product of one of their amazing quests to find the perfect chocolate mousse. It was an excellent dessert -- light yet chocolatey and satisfying. I enjoyed it with nearly equal amounts of lightly sweetened whipped cream, a dash of cinnamon and a few sprinkles of grated chocolate. Even though my silverware drawer lacks the tiny perfect utensil to eat it with, it was still the perfect dessert to savor slowly. And now that its gone, I've forgotten the spoon but I'm still thinking about the mousse.

Dark Chocolate Mousse

I made this recipe relying on what I had on hand. I did not have the instant espresso powder so I added a bit more cocoa powder. I also didn't have any brandy (I added two more teaspoons of water and a teaspoon of vanilla), but the dilligent and exacting recipe creators and testers at Cook's Illustrated said that it enhanced the flavor without being too strong -- either way it should work fine. This recipe makes about 3 1/2 cups, certainly enough for 6-8 people. I cut the recipe in half and it made four ample servings.

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine (they reccomend Ghirardelli at least 60% cacao)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, preferable Dutch-processed
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
5 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon brandy
2 large eggs separated
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 cup plus two tablespoons chilled heavy cream

1. Melt chocolate, cocoa powder, espresso powder, water and brandy in medium heat-proof bowl set over saucepan partially filled with barely simmering water. Stir frequently until smooth. Remove from heat.

2. Whisk egg yolks 1 1/2 teaspoons of the sugar and salt in a medium bowl until the mixture lightens in color and thickens slightly. Pour melted chocolate into egg mixture and whisk until combined. Let cool until just warmer than room temperature.

3. Beat the egg whites on medium-low speed until frothy. Add remaining sugar, increase speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form. Whisk the last few strokes by hand, making sure to scrape up any unbeaten whites from the bottom of the bowl. Stir about one quarter of the whites into the chocolate mixture. Gently fold in the remaining whites until a few white streaks remain.

4. Whip heavy cream until it forms soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the mousse until no white streaks remain. Spoon into serving dishes. Cover and refridgerate until set and firm, at least two hours or up to 24. Serve with whipped cream and any other garnishes you like.

So Far

I have a to do list that is nearly a mile long. I am impatient. I want time to work on these projects and accomplish something. Between working, walking the dog, washing the dishes and all the other small things that make up everyday its all I can do to dig a tiny hole in the mountain of projects-I-hope-to-do. I get discouraged far too easily and sometimes it is tempting to give up and pretend that am content to do none of it.

Its time for a change, though. If I accomplish one thing today, it will be to appreciate what I have done lately and to keep chipping away at all that I want to do. Sunday was epic in this sense.


We went skiing for a couple of hours. Just gliding through the woods through the shadows and sun with a few sprinkles of rain and straight gray trees. Uphills were a challenge, going down was a blast.

Later I made granola from whatever we had on hand. Simple pouring, vague measuring, stirring and combining it all together, a short time in the oven and there was breakfast for the week.


After all this I started another small project, too. Eventually these will keep my hands warm, and with the winter we are having I will probably finish these before things warm up.

Not half bad for a Sunday.



Sweep the Kitchen Granola
Use whatever you have on hand to make granola that you like. The amounts below are what I had and used. This recipe makes enough for two people to eat for a week or two. I keep it in the fridge, though an air tight jar would work well, too.

4 cups rolled oats
1 cup oat bran
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup almonds, slivered or chopped
a handful of shredded coconut
cinnamon, nutmeg and fresh grated ginger for flavor
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup maple syrup, honey or other liquid sweetener
2 tablespoons of canola oil
1 cup dried fruit (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together dry ingredients until all the oats, seeds and nuts are evenly combined. Mix together wet ingredients and combine with dry ingredients until everything is evenly coated and uniformly wet. Spread granola onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-15 minutes, checking frequently. Stir the granola on the cookie sheets so that the darker and lighter parts are redistributed. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until darkened to your liking. Let sit until cool, add dried fruit if you like. Store in an airtight container.