recipes
arugula and pear homemade pizza
1 packet active-dry yeast
¾ cup warm water
2 teaspoons local honey
Pinch sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
see sauce recipe below
1/2 cup fresh arugula
1 local pear, thinly sliced
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
In a small bowl, combine the yeast with the warm water (do not make too hot, otherwise, the yeast will die), honey, and sugar. Let the mixture sit until a substantial amount of foam forms (it helps if you use a glass bowl) ~ 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together both flours and salt thoroughly. Add the yeast mixture and the olive oil. Using a fork, incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. If you have a stand mixer, transfer the dough and knead using the dough hook for a few minutes. Otherwise, knead the dough by hand for a few minutes on a lightly-floured surface.
Lightly coat a clean bowl with olive oil and then add the dough, turning once to coat the dough in oil. Cover and set in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour. Dough can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time. After preparing, let dough rise, covered, in the refrigerator for an hour, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap or seal in a Ziploc bag. When ready to use, take dough out and let it rise for about 30-60 minutes.
When ready to use, gently knead the dough to punch out any air, then on a well floured surface, roll out the dough using a floured rolling pin. Adjust the thickness of the dough to create desired thickness of pizza.
Top pizza with pears, mozzarella cheese, and feta cheese. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Bake pizzas at as high as your oven will go ~500 degrees. They should only take a few minutes, depending on the thickness of the crust. Best method is to use a pizza stone. Otherwise, bake on an upside down cookie sheet. I also suggest brushing the crust with olive oil and drizzling a little over the entire pizza. When removed from the oven, top with fresh arugula.
Tip: An interesting way that I highly recommend is to grill your pizza dough (Sounds crazy). Once you roll out the dough, throw it straight on a hot grill. The dough will not fall through the cracks, if the grill is hot enough. 3-4 minutes per side should be good, crust will be hard on the outside when finished. Then add sauce, cheese, and toppings and bake at 450 for a few minutes, just enough so the cheese will melt.
Gluten-free version: Replace flour with a gluten-free flour blend, if possible. (Should contain white rice flour, brown rice flour, tapioca flour, and xanthan gum. Also add ¼ teaspoon baking powder.
sweet marinara sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 cloves local garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh, chopped oregano
1 tablespoon fresh, chopped basil
2 pounds local, diced fresh tomatoes
1 teaspoon local honey
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Optional: red pepper flakes ( ¼ – ½ teaspoons)
In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm the olive oil.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute. If you’re using dried oregano, add that along with the garlic. If you’re using fresh, add it to the sauce at the end of cooking time.
Increase the heat to medium. Add the tomatoes, sugar, red pepper, salt, and black pepper.
Leave over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until boiling. Reduce head to low for a nice simmer.
Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
Stir in fresh oregano, if using.
Allow the sauce to cool to a safe temperature and then, using a blender or food processor, blend the sauce until smooth.
fruit salad with ginger-lime glaze
1 pint local blueberries
1 pint local raspberries
1 cup local strawberries
1 /2 cup diced fresh banana
1/2 cup mandarin orange slices
Juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon local pure vanilla
Combine all ingreidnets in a bowl. Toss fruit to coat in liquid glaze. Can be refridgerated for up to 1 hour. Fruit can be substituted with whatever local produce is availible and in-season.
ice cream sandwiches
2 ¼ all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1-2 pints locally made ice cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachments, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool.
Once cookies have cooled, place one scoop of soft ice cream in between two cookies and enjoy.
Explore different cookie and ice cream combinations!