Tomato Basil Squares

I recently made this recipe after a 10 year hiatus. I can't remember why since it is so fantastic and delicious!! It was originally a Pampered Chef recipe that I made my own with a few tweaks. Hope you enjoy as tomato season is nearly upon us!

TOMATO BASIL SQUARES

1 batch your favorite pizza crust (my recipe is below)
2 cups shredded fresh mozzarella cheese (I used Four Corners Creamery, it takes 1 1/2 mozzarella balls)
¼ cup Parmigianno-Reggiano cheese, grated
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp snipped fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove, minced
4 fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 425°F
Roll out pizza crust on to flat baking sheet to 1 inch of edge. Bake 18-22 minutes until golden brown.
Top crust with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese; let stand 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Combine Parm cheese, remaining mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, basil and minced garlic and
mix well.
Slice tomatoes and arrange evenly over crust. Scoop cheese mixture over tomatoes; spread evenly. Bake 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Let cool 10 minutes and slice into squares.

(FYI I'm going to try making this with smoked fresh mozzarella next time...hence the photo!)

Pizza Crust
1 cup hot tap water
1 Tablespoon INSTANT yeast (adjust accordingly for active dry)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2-3 cups flour

Throw all of the ingredients together into your mixer with a dough hook attached and mix until dough is smooth and shiny. Let rise 15 minutes and roll out.

Marinated Manchego Cheese

I know the title seems odd, yet the concept is not. What to do with the last bits of cheese in the drawer that you're not using? Friends coming over this weekend and you need something to serve up that isn't SO time consuming in the kitchen? Or possibly, you just want to see the sunshine through a beautiful jar filled with spring-ish green, fresh herbs and bits of colorful peppercorns waiting for your family to come through the door and share fabulous food together? My favorite wine to pair this with is a Tempranillo from Spain! Enjoy!

MARINATED MANCHEGO CHEESE

½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, best quality
1 Pound Manchego, Pecorino or hard cheese of choice; rind removed and cut into 1 inch chunks
½ Tablespoons whole Peppercorns
½ Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary, Thyme or Oregano; washed and torn to small clusters

In a small crock or jar with lid, combine all ingredients and let sit for at least an hour at room temperature.

The cheese can be stored in fridge for up to a week, but the olive oil will solidify, so bring it to room temperature before serving. You could also add olives, sundried tomatoes or roasted peppers of your choice to the mix as well.

Asparagus & Truffle Oil Spread

Last year, from April through November, I hosted a series of home preserving classes at our shop, The Boulevard Market.  Freezing, canning, drying, pickling, lacto-fermenting and even liqueurs and candied peel!  The classes were based on in season produce.

It's been a great way to share knowledge, experience and recipes for the entire group!!  I thought I'd share the favorite from last year (I shared with this year's group too :)) as we are nearly at the end of asparagus season.

I created the Asparagus Spread to be stored in the freezer and have a versatility to it in everyday cooking.  This recipe makes a great appetizer with slices of baguette, a base for asparagus soup (add 3 cups chicken/vegetable stock) an easy savory tart on it's own, or spread onto a pastry crust and top with eggs for a quick and delicious quiche.  It's also fantastic stirred into freshly prepared linguine pasta!

The ingredients are a tad more expensive, but it's truly worth the effort and expense for such an elegant, easy, tasty variety of dishes.

Asparagus Spread with Truffle Oil

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 stick butter

1 8 ounce carton mascarpone

Salt & pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons Truffle Oil

Saute asparagus in large sauté pan over medium heat about 6 minutes with butter until barely soft, and bright green.

Remove from heat and add mascarpone cheese, salt, pepper and truffle oil.  Stir until combined and place in freezer containers.  Let cool to room temperature then place in freezer up to one year.

The Boulevard Market sells this for $12.98/ bottle.  Not cheap, but worth it!

 

Tomato Basil Appetizer Pizza

It was years ago when I last attended a "home" party for kitchenware.  I still have lots of their stoneware baking pans that I love!  At one such party, the hostess made an appetizer pizza that was fantastic!  I am not the sort to buy doughs in a tube (John DOES love Grands biscuits however...) so I adjusted the recipe to fit my kitchen and it's a winner!  I've included my favorite pizza crust recipe, but you could substitute any that you prefer (including one from a tube, I won't tell!).

While I namely make my own mayonnaise, for this recipe you will want a purchased variety, the homemade just doesn't have all the weird stabilizing ingredients the jar stuff has.  This recipe fits about a 13X15 baking pan, or maybe a bit larger.

HOMEMADE PIZZA CRUST:

1 cup hot water
1 Tablespoon instant yeast (if using dry active, proof yeast in water first)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2- 3 1/2 cups all purpose unbleached flour (I've successfully used 1/2 whole wheat 1/2 white flours, anymore than that and the crust was a bit too tough for our liking)

Throw everything into mixing bowl and use dough hook on low speed for about 4 minutes, add additional flour until a smooth, glossy dough is achieved.  Let rise about 15 minutes until nearly double.  Punch down dough and roll directly onto lightly greased baking sheet.

PIZZA INGREDIENTS:
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated
2/3 cups mayonnaise
1-2 cloves minced garlic
6 small or 4 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
3-4 Tablespoons fresh basil, thinly slice the leaves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sprinkle the prepared, uncooked pizza crust with 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.

Place tomato slices evenly over entire pizza on top of the mozzarella cheese. 

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, garlic and basil and mix well.  Add remaining cup of mozzarella cheese and parm cheese.  Blend until combined (will be clumpy and thick).  Drop evenly on top of tomatoes and carefully spread to cover.  This will be a bit difficult, but looks won't matter once it's cooked.

Bake 15-20 minutes until top is lightly browned and cheese is bubbly!  Cut into small diamonds and enjoy! 

Roasting grapes...

Years ago I read an old Italian recipe about roasting grapes.  I thought it an odd thing, as I don't think about baking or cooking with grapes all that much.  Over the years, I have developed the most fantastic recipe for roasting grapes.  It's a recipe that combines the quintessential sweet/savory combination and is so easy to prepare.  It's also a recipe that looks so fabulous and elegant, is easy to eat and can be prepared in advance and assembled quickly.  It's also a great way to use up less-than-perfect fruit. 

Mascarpone cheese is a triple creme cheese from Italy or the US and it comes in a tub.  It's delicate and barely sweet, spreadable and whip-able.  It has a generous shelf life and works well as a frosting, thickener for sauces and smeared on most breads.

ROASTED GRAPES & MASCARPONE

1 baguette, sliced in 3/4 inches on a bias
1 8 ounce carton Mascarpone
1 pound seedless grapes, red or black look the best
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
3-4 Tablespoons raw sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
On a lined baking sheet, lay out grapes that have been cut into 3 grape bundles, leaving stems still attached in a single layer.  Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt.  Roast about 15 minutes until grapes are wrinkly, but not fully collasped.

 
Place baguette slices on a lined baking sheet and bake about 10 minutes until slightly golden brown.  Let cool and spread each slice with Mascarpone cheese, about 1/4 inch thick.  Sprinkle with a bit of raw sugar and top with  a roasted grape cluster.
Serve immediately.

Grapes can be roasted in advance (even a day ahead of time) and kept refrigerated until ready to use.

Roasted grapes are also fantastic in green salads or fruit salads or to top a simple pound/loaf cake with a bit of whipped cream.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!  Someday I will live in Italy with a tiny vineyard and eat roasted grapes all through the harvest season....dreams are nice aren't they?