Saturday we celebrated my birthday by inviting a bunch of good friends over to make pizza in our new outdoor wood-burning oven. Everyone was asked to bring his or her favorite topping while we supplied the pizza dough, sauces and cheese. In total, I must have cooked over 24 pizzas before we were done.

Everyone got creative and came up with some interesting combinations. We tried artichokes, anchovies, pepperoni, pineapple, sausage, prosciutto (Italian ham), an assortment of olives, peppers, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes and I’m sure I’m forgetting some.

For cheese we tried mozzarella, goat, pecorino, Parmesan and fresh buffalo mozzarella. There was tomato sauce, pesto sauce, garlic and olive oil. Each pie was unique and a delight to sample.

The wood-burning oven ranges from 700 to 800 F when cooking pizza. The pies are thin crusted and only about 8 inches in diameter so they cook fast, about 3 to 4 minutes per pie.

Unfortunately it was about 95 outside on Saturday so standing in front of the oven for over 2 hours was a test of endurance. I’m reminded how uncomfortable it must be for professional chefs working in a hot kitchen 8 to 10 hours per day. I was fortunate to have an ice bucket filled with beer next to me so I could grab ice to cool off and replenish my liquids.

There are so many great pizza recipes but I wanted to share with you this one from Wolfgang Puck’s cookbook, Pizza, Pasta, and More! I am a big fan of Chef Puck and find his recipes easy to follow, to the point and most enjoyable. Here is his recipe for Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Pizza.

Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Pizza
Makes two 8-inch pies

Ingredients:
12 ounces pizza dough
¼ cup of pesto – we used store bought, but I have a good recipe for pesto here
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Fontina cheese
2 Roma tomatoes, cut into thin slices
2 ounces of prosciutto (Italian ham), cut into thin strips
2 ounces o of goat cheese, cut into small pieces
¼ teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
¼ teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
4 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese

How to Make a Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Pizza

Chef Puck suggests using a pizza stone placed on the middle rack of your oven that has been preheated to 500 F. Before we had this wood-burning oven, I would use a pizza stone and can highly recommend them if you like to make pizza at home or ever bread for that matter. They really make a difference when trying to get the crust nice and crisp.

Divide the dough in half for two pizzas. Stretch and roll the dough out on a floured surface to make 8-inch rounds. I like thin-crusted pizza so the roundness isn’t as important to me as the thickness. The thinner the pizza, the faster and crisper they cook.

Brush each pizza round with Pesto and a layer of mozzarella, Fontina, tomatoes, prosciutto, goat cheese, oregano, thyme and Parmesan cheese.

Bake the pies until the crusts are lightly browned. In the oven this will take about 10 to 12 minutes. In our wood burning oven, about 4 minutes.

When the pie is done, remove it from the oven and place it onto a large cutting board or pizza pan and cut into slices with a pizza cutter. Delicious!!!

I am thrilled to have just posted an exciting new Novice2Pro interview with Executive Chef Bertrand Chemel. It’s a great read for anyone interested in food especially if you are thinking of going to culinary arts school to start a career in the food industry.

Chef Chemel, previously executive chef at Café Boulud in New York City, and now executive chef of 2941 Restaurant in Falls Church, VA. He answers my questions about where he learned his craft, what he looks for in hiring new cooks, favorite cookbooks and a lot more. You can read the entire interview here.

I asked Chef Chemel if he had a signature dish or favorite recipe and here is how he responded:

“I don’t have a signature dish, because I like my recipes to remain fresh for both my clientèle and myself. I do happen to favor some ingredients however – for instance, I love to prepare dishes with black truffles, because they have a very intense and interesting flavor. I am happy to share the following recipe for Ricotta Gnocchi, which features black truffles and is simple to make at home.”

Ricotta Gnocchi

• 7 oz. sheep’s milk ricotta (strained, firm)
• 2 oz. potato (baked, skin on)
• 1 oz. all purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• ¼ lb baby Brussels sprouts
• 1 tablespoon butter, unsalted
• 4 tablespoon breadcrumbs (Italian or panko)
• 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3 teaspoon (12 grams) fresh Black Truffle (or quality canned), chopped
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 tablespoon dry white wine
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream

Method:

1. Bake the potato in foil at 375 degrees until soft, about 45 minutes, and while still hot, pass through a potato ricer into a mixing bowl to get rid of the skin. Measure the amount of potato you need based on the scale of recipe you are making, add the strained ricotta while still warm and sprinkle mixture with the flour and salt.

2. Mix gently to combine and using a lightly floured work surface roll the mixture into ¼ inch logs about 12 inches in length. Cut into ½-inch rectangles, place gently onto floured parchment lined sheet pan, and refrigerate until ready to cook.

3. Bring 6 quarts of heavily salted water to a rapid boil and cut the brussel sprouts into fourths and drop into the water and blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes until soft, remove and place in bowl of ice water to shock and stop cooking, then drain and reserve.

4. Meanwhile, bring a sauté pan to high heat and once the sprouts are dry, add olive oil, and sauté them until slightly brown, add the bread crumbs, sauté 2 minutes more, then add the butter and let brown for 1 minute and take off heat.

5. In a medium saucepan, sweat the shallot, and black truffle in a little olive oil over low heat for 3 minutes, add the white wine, reduce until the shallots and truffles are glazed, then add the heavy cream and simmer over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the sauce is just slightly thick in consistency.

6. Drop the gnocchi in the same pot of water used to cook the brussel sprouts, making sure that the water is boiling rapidly and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the gnocchi rise to the top of the water, remove with a strainer and add to the cream mixture, stir and serve. Top with the brussel sprouts and grated Parmesan.

A Chef’s Secret’s to the Best Risotto Recipe Ever

I have made lots of risotto meals over the years and they usually turn out pretty good but the other night I made a simple Asparagus Risotto that was the best I’ve ever made. Some of my other favorite risotto recipes include Basic Risotto with Shrimp,  Risotto Milanese  and Wild Mushroom Risotto.

What inspired me to make the Asparagus Risotto is a wonderful little book by Chef Robert Reynolds called An Excuse to Be Together. It’s not really a cookbook like we think of, although it has numerous incredible recipes, but more of a dialogue with the reader about Chef Reynolds experiences in France shopping for amazing local ingredients and then preparing them with his students.

I have his book next to my bed and every so often I pick it up and read a chapter to get inspired about food and learn a new trick or two from Chef Reynolds. That’s how I came across his recipe for a simple Asparagus Risotto.

By the way, Chef Robert Reynolds was trained in France by Madeline Kamman and is an experienced restauateur and teacher. He and Josephine Araldo wrote the cookbook From A Breton Garden. You can find my interview with Chef Reynolds at my Novice2Pro Chef Interviews and if you are interested in attending his cooking school in Portland, Oregon, there is a link to his web site at there too.

A Recipe Written Like A Novel

I love reading recipes that read like an essay or novel. For example, here is a excerpt from Chef Robert’s book about preparing his risotto:

“I went in search of a straight-sided sauté pan. I tend to use an equal amount of butter and oil in the pan when starting risotto, heating one until it releases its perfume before adding the other. When the temperature is right, I put in onions cut to the size of the grains of rice. I give them a sprinkle of salt and sauté gently until they melt.”

Not only is that a joy to read, you can learn a bunch of cooking tips in that one paragraph.

1. Cook risotto in a straight-sided sauté pan. I used to always make my risotto in a large saucepan or small stockpot.
2. Use butter and oil instead of just one or the other.
3. Wait to add the oil until you can smell the butter.
4. Cut the onions very, very small.
5. When to add salt – right after you add the onions.

All that from just a couple of sentences. That’s what I call a “learning” recipe and gets me excited.

More Chef Secrets About Cooking Risotto

Here are a few more tips and techniques I learned from reading Chef’s Chapter 12, Having a Man in the Kitchen. I’m sure every time I read this chapter, something new will pop out at me but for now:

Find the freshest ingredients available. The fresher they are, the more flavor your dishes will have.

Before adding any liquids, cook the risotto with the onions until the rice becomes opaque. I made this dish with my 10-year-old daughter and she was delighted when she could see the rice change from solid white to opaque.

Use the best chicken stock you can find. Chef Reyolds says you can “judge the flavor of the dish by the taste of the broth.”

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