Nutella & Mascarpone Dessert Pizza

When I first saw this episode of "David Rocco's Dolce Vita," I was a little suspicious of how good this "pizza" could be - I mean, dessert and pizza mixed together never really appealed to me. But, on the other hand, David Rocco knows (for those of you who've seen the show) what he's talking about. Let me tell you, this dessert is probably now in my top 3 favorites... the flavors of Nutella and the delicious Italian mascarpone blend so well together it's unbelievable. And, on top of all that, it's quite simple to make.

Recipe:
*Oven should be between 400-475 degrees, depending on what dough you use. (For time and temperature, follow instructions according to your dough recipe.)
*I started with some fresh, homemade pizza dough (although Trader Joe's store-bought dough works very well too, if you'd like to save some time) rolled out to about a 1/4 inch thickness. The dough shouldn't be too thin, otherwise, when folded over, it will tear.
*Note* Before you put the dough onto the pizza pan, spread some olive oil onto the pan to keep from sticking.

*Once the dough is all rolled out to a good size and thickness, spread about 3-5 Tbsp. of Nutella on half of the circle-shaped dough, until one half of the circle  is completely covered.
*Next, take about the same amount of mascarpone (you can find it in your local grocery store - I used the small container of the Trader Joe's brand) and spread on the other half of the dough until completely covered.
*If desired, sprinkle about a teaspoon of sugar over the mascarpone, before folding one half of the dough on top of the other, so that you have a calzone. (It doesn't matter which creamy substance is on top.)
*If desired, sprinkle another 1/2 tsp. of sugar over the top of the folded-over dough.
*Place into the oven for about 10-12 minutes, or whatever the dough recipe calls for. The dough should be just golden brown on the edges - you don't want crunchy dough!
*Your end result should look like this:

*Once the pizza has cooled for about 10-15 minutes, cut with a pizza cutter into long slices and serve. 

Enjoy!!

When Truffles Go Wrong...

After watching an "all about chocolate" episode of Ina Garten's "Barefoot Contessa," I was inspired to make her rum raisin chocolate-covered truffles. As usual, I was in a hurry that day and neglected to read the recipe properly. After the rum raisin filling was finished I (somewhat stupidly) placed the bowl in the fridge instead of on the counter at room temperature for 6 hours. I didn't think much of it, until I realized that the mixture, instead of thickening and drying out a little, soaked in the cold air and therefore, maintained its gooey consistency. A big mistake. So, after letting the mixture sit at room temperature for another 6 hours and still not getting the desired consistency, I gave up. But I couldn't waste such a beautiful, chocolatey concoction - so, what did I do? Make cupcakes. I already had the majority of the wet mixture - all I really needed was eggs and maybe a little more cream. For the dry mixture, I just combined some flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. And what do you know? I had cupcakes.

 If you think about it, it's much harder to mess up a cake mixture than, say, cookies or truffles (in my case...). Lesson of the day? When in doubt, make cupcakes!

Recipe:

For the Amaretto-Raisin Mixture:

1/2 c. heavy cream

350 grams milk chocolate

1 Tbsp. butter

1/8 c. raisins

1/3-1/2 c. Italian amaretto

*Heat the cream in a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water until warm. (Don't boil the milk)

*Once cream is warm, add chopped milk chocolate and butter until mixed & melted. 

*Blend the raisins and amaretto in a food processor or blender until the raisins are minced.

*Add the raisin mixture to the chocolate.

*Once everything is incorporated, take the bowl off the heat and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours, or until completely cool. 

For the rest of the cupcakes: 

3 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 & 1/2 c. flour

1/3 c. cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

about 1/2 c. half & half

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees

*Once the amaretto/chocolate mixture has cooled completely, transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer.

*Add eggs and vanilla.

*In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. 

*Alternately mix the dry ingredients and 1/2 c. half & half (or however much is needed to keep a creamy consistency) until everything is just mixed.
*NOTE* If, when you taste the mixture, the amaretto is too subtle, feel free to add another few tablespoons to give it a little bite.

*Place in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

*For the icing, use any vanilla icing recipe (I used Paula Dean's 7-minute Frosting: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/7-minute-frosting-recipe/index.html 

*Note* When adding the vanilla, add about 1/4 cup amaretto to give the cupcakes their extra bite. 

*Drizzle the icing onto the cupcakes and top with chocolate shavings if desired. 

Enjoy!

"Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread"

Upon waking up on this fine San Diego morning, I decided to make a chocolate-mint torte. However, much to my mother's dismay, the recipe called for several impractical (and pricy) ingredients which were nowhere to be found in our household. My dear mother's proposal? That I make something a little more practical and healthy for our family - namely, bread.

As this was my first time making my own bread, I was a tad nervous, but eager to see the outcome. The process was simple - just water, yeast, salt, sugar, flour, and GOOD EXTRA-VIRGIN olive oil (preferably DeCecco, but the Trader Joe's stuff will also suffice, I suppose...). To add a little twist in the flavor, I added about 2 and 1/2 tablespoons of minced garlic, along with some finely chopped rosemary (from my mother's garden) and 1/2 cup of grated parmigiano reggiano (or as Mario Batali calls it, the "Undisputed King of Cheeses").
Then, in my favorite kitchen appliance - the KitchenAid mixer - I used the dough hook to knead it into ball and stuck in in the oven to rise. About an hour later, I divided the ball of dough in half, forming 2 separate balls and placed each on its own greased cookie sheet to rise for another 20 minutes, until they both looked like this:

I then cut a criss-cross in the middle, brushed on a little egg-wash, and grated a little more parmigiano on top before placing it in the oven for approximately 35 minutes at 350 degrees.
The outcome - a beautifully risen, golden-crusted loaf of bread, wafting scents of garlic, parmigiano, and rosemary my way. Yum.

Enjoy a warm slice with some DeCecco extra-virgin olive oil (or the Trader Joe's brand...), balsamic vinegar, and salt. 

*Recipe: (Lance Roll - "It's Not Just Camp Food Anymore")

French (Catalina) Bread:

2 & 1/2 c. warm water

2 & 1/2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

2 & 1/2 Tbsp. yeast

5 Tbsp. vegetable oil

3/4 Tbsp. salt

5 3/4 c. bread flour or all-purpose flour

Additions: 2 Tbsp. garlic

                  2 Tbsp. rosemary

                  1/2 c. parmesan

*Mix water, sugar, and yeast - let stand for 10 minutes until yeast activates. Add oil, salt, and flour and additions (if using any). Stir until hard. 

*Knead with hands or dough hook of electric mixer until dough forms a ball. Cover with towel and place in warm place (preferably oven, which should be off) for 1 hour until dough has risen. *Meanwhile, 2 cookie sheets with olive oil. 

*After and hour, cut dough in half - press each ball flat into a circle. Pinch all sides together and turn dough over to form a ball. Place on greased cookie sheets for 20 more minutes. The dough should double in size. 

*Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. 

The Problem with Nutella...

One of my absolute favorite flavors in the whole wide world is...(wait for it)...Nutella. There really is nothing better than the sweet, creamy flavor and texture combined to create this little jar of heaven. So, if it's so good, 'what's the problem?' you may ask. The problem (or at least my problem is...and probably your's, too - don't lie) is that you can not. stop. eating. it. The little jar of heaven continues to call my name whenever it's in the pantry. Now, this wouldn't be a problem if Nutella consisted of several grams of protein, maybe a little fiber, and, oh, just 10 grams of fat instead of 80. See my predicament now? Take this, for example - if you look on the back of the Nutella jar, you'll find that 1 serving size equals approximately 170-200 calories. This wouldn't be all that bad if the serving size wasn't only 2 tablespoons.  I mean, who can only eat 2 tablespoons of, I repeat, this little jar of heaven? My biggest concern - when will all of this finally catch up with me and my 17-year-old metabolism? Whatever the consequences may be, for now I'll just sit back and enjoy.

The Best Dessert I've Ever Tasted

Is there really such a thing as picking just one plate of deliciousness? Probably not. But if I had to choose just one, my choice would not be something from Extraordinary Desserts, where everything is decorated fabulously (but doesn't necessarily rock my taste buds), nor my grandmother's apple cake (which comes in at a very close second-place). No, instead I would choose my very own father's authentic, classic tiramisu. If you're craving something sweet, but with a little bite, something creamy, chocolatey... this is your dish. The savoiardi (also known as 'ladyfingers') are soaked in amaretto, giving the dessert it's bitter bite and aftertaste. Covering the savoiardi is the creamy mascarpone filling, topped with finely grated chocolate. After a little lasagna or chicken marsala, the tiramisu completes the meal perfectly - it's light, not too sweet, and not too filling. It's the best dessert I've ever tasted.