Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes With Southern Charm Hardcover – July 5, 2011 (14 page)
Read Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes With Southern Charm Hardcover – July 5, 2011 Online
Authors: Whitney Miller
Summer Vegetable Pizzas
While everyone in my family has his or her own favorite pizza toppings, one thing we all agree on is the more veggies the better! Tomatoes, zucchini, and squash are easy to grow and are usually produced in abundance in the summertime, making them the perfect ingredients for a fresh garden pizza. Feel free to be creative and grill any extra vegetables from your own garden, such as peppers or eggplant.
TOMATO SAUCE
2 pounds Roma (plum) tomatoes (about 7 large), quartered
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup minced yellow onion
2 small carrots, finely grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
DOUGH
1 envelope (¼ ounce) active dry yeast
1 2/3 cups lukewarm (100° to 110°F) water
4 cups plus 3 tablespoons bread flour
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2½ teaspoons table salt
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
GRILLED VEGETABLES
1 small zucchini, cut lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick slices
1 small yellow squash, cut lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick slices
2 small tomatoes, sliced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
12 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
To make the tomato sauce: Place the tomato pieces on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 4 tablespoons of the oil and sprinkle with the kosher salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Bake until lightly roasted, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and carrot and cook until the onion is translucent and the carrot is softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Transfer the roasted tomatoes to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into the saucepan with the sautéed vegetables. Stir in the agave nectar and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper and the table salt. Cover and cook on low until the sauce reaches the desired consistency, 25 to 30 minutes.
To make the dough: In a stand mixer, whisk together the yeast and water. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add the 4 cups flour, the ¼ cup oil, and salt. Using a paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until the dough is smooth. Replace the paddle with the dough hook and increase the speed to high. After about 2 minutes, the dough should form and be sticky.
Sprinkle the remaining 3 tablespoons flour on a work surface. Turn the dough out onto the surface and knead in the flour. Form the dough into a smooth ball. Place the dough into lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Meanwhile, place an oven rack in the bottom position and preheat to 450°F. About 10 minutes before the dough has doubled in size, put a pizza stone on the bottom rack to preheat.
Punch the dough down and divide in half. Place one half of the dough on a floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll out to a round large enough to cover the pizza stone.
Remove the stone from oven and sprinkle with cornmeal. Carefully place the dough round on the stone. Poke a few holes in the dough with a fork. Bake until the dough rises but doesn’t brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven. Roll out and bake the second dough round. Leave the oven on.
Meanwhile, grill the vegetables: Combine the zucchini, yellow squash, tomato, oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and toss to coat.
Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook the zucchini and squash slices until grill marks appear, about 1½ minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate. Cook the tomato slices for 45 seconds on each side. Transfer to the plate.
To assemble the pizzas, spread the roasted tomato sauce over the crust. Alternate the grilled zucchini and squash slices over the sauce. Top with the grilled tomato slices.
Bake each pizza for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the mozzarella. Bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before using a pizza cutter to cut each pizza into 8 slices.
Serves 6 to 8
SWEET
REWARDS
I HAVE TO CONFESS that I have a weakness for sweets. I deliberately eat small portions to leave room for dessert. I will make late-night trips to the supermarket just to purchase ingredients for my Molten Lava Cakes to satisfy my chocolate cravings. Deemed the “pastry princess” on
MasterChef,
I spend most of my time in my kitchen, dusted with flour, concocting creations such as Not Your Grandma’s Lemon Meringue and Crispy Coconut Bites with Chocolate Sauce.
Crispy Coconut Bites with Chocolate Sauce
Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Blondies
Toasted Coconut Cupcakes with Lemon Glaze
Lemon-Lime Fruit Salad
This fresh, citrusy fruit salad is bursting with the flavor of fresh-picked fruit—it’s a taste of summer in a bowl! I like to serve it in small portions with lemon-lime whipped cream for a simple, fruity dessert with a special touch. The variety of colored fruits and berries and the petite cut of the fruit make for an especially pretty presentation.
FRUIT SALAD
3 tablespoons lemon-lime soda
1 Golden Delicious apple
1 large banana, cut into ¼-inch cubes
2 large navel oranges, peeled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
¼ cup mixed blueberries and blackberries
¼ cup sliced strawberries
3 tablespoons sweetened shredded coconut
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
½ teaspoon honey (optional)
LEMON-LIME WHIPPED CREAM
2/3 cup heavy cream, cold
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
¼ teaspoon mixed grated lemon and lime zests
To make the fruit salad: Measure the lemon-lime soda into a bowl. Peel and cut the apple into ¼-inch cubes, adding it to the bowl as you work and tossing to coat (to keep the apple from discoloring).
Add the banana, oranges, mixed berries, strawberries, coconut, and almonds and stir gently to combine. If you want more sweetness, stir in the honey. Refrigerate the salad until chilled, at least an 1 hour.
Meanwhile, make the lemon-lime whipped cream: Using an electric mixer, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Sprinkle in the sugar and zest. Beat for about 30 seconds.
Spoon the fruit salad into 6 dessert bowls and top with a dollop of lemon-lime whipped cream.
Serves 6
Crispy Coconut Bites with Chocolate Sauce
My dad loves the combination of coconut and chocolate. I created this simple dessert using basic, inexpensive pantry ingredients that you probably already have on hand. You’d never guess that the secret ingredient in these decadent little bites is a Southern staple: grits!
BITES
1 1/3 cups canned coconut milk
½ cup quick-cooking grits
3 tablespoons sugar
½ cup heavy cream
2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup shredded fresh coconut or packaged sweetened shredded coconut
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
CHOCOLATE SAUCE
¼ cup heavy cream
4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
To make the bites: Bring the coconut milk to a slight boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the grits and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the grits reach porridge consistency, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. Scrape into a small bowl and let cool at room temperature, about 25 minutes.
Scooping 1 tablespoon of grits at a time, gently roll the mixture with the palms of your hands to form 12 balls. Place the balls on a plastic wrap-covered baking sheet. The balls can be made up several hours ahead of time.
Pour the cream into a shallow dish. Place the graham cracker crumbs and shredded coconut on two separate plates. Roll the grit balls in the cream, then the crumbs, back into the cream, and then the coconut.
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small heavy nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Cook 4 balls until lightly browned all over, a few seconds on each side. Transfer the balls to a paper towel-lined plate. Wipe the pan clean and repeat with the remaining butter and grits balls, using 1 tablespoon of butter for each batch.
To make the chocolate sauce: Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it begins to boil. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until smooth.
Serve the crispy coconut bites with the chocolate sauce.
Serves 6
No-Name Bars
There’s an old saying that you can never have too much chocolate. Well, for me, you can never have too much cream cheese! I call these No-Name Bars because they’re really too good for words. You can top these cheesecake-like squares with any fruit you want (or even chocolate sauce). I like to serve mine topped with fresh cooked cherries.
CRUST
1½ sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FILLING
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease 13 X 9-inch baking dish.
To make the crust: Mix the melted butter and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Stir in the vanilla. Spread the mixture into bottom of the baking dish.
To make the filling: Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Stir in the confectioners’ sugar. Spread the mixture on top of the crust.
Bake until set, about 38 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into squares.
Serves 8
