Gourmet Hawaiian Pizza

Awhile back I had the most delicious hawaiian pizza at a restaurant in town, Farm Bloomington.  So I called them up the other day to check if it was still on their menu.  It wasn't.  The girl that answered the phone didn't even know what pizza I was asking about.  Blasphemy.  So that left me only one option... make my own.  What made Farm's pizza so deliciously memorable was the presence of macadamia nuts.  That nutty, fatty crunch really brings a lot to a pizza.  Seriously, nuts on pizza- try it.  Also, since I generally find Canadian bacon disturbing, I subbed pancetta-- a substitution I would highly recommend.  Overall, this is a pretty killer pizza-- I guess I can forgive Farm for taking it off their menu.

Brussels Sprout, Grape, + Goat Cheese Pizza

This isn't so much of a step-by-step recipe, but a list of ingredients that taste quite lovely together :)

For crust: 14-19 oz. Pizza dough (I use the 5-minute Artisan Crusty White Bread recipe).
Bake the crust without toppings for 8-10 minutes in a 500°F oven.

Sauce: 5-7 cloves of roasted garlic + 3 Tbs apricot preserves + 1 tsp balsamic vinegar + salt to taste
Mash it all together.

Spread the sauce over the crust, then add some shredded parmesan, brussels sprouts, halved grapes, pine nuts, goat cheese and another drizzle of balsamic.

Bake for another 10-12 minutes, or until brussels sprouts are roasted and crust is golden.

Greek Yogurt Cornbread

This 20° weather as of late has really made me crave comfort food.  Hence, chili and cornbread.  This cornbread just tastes really great, and the addition of the Greek yogurt makes for a very moist, rich cornbread.  Perfect for sopping up every last flavorful bite of chili.

Lightened Up Dark Chocolate Crème Brülée

This year for Christmas, my sister-in-law gave E and I a kitchen torch.  It is pretty much the greatest thing ever.  I come up with every excuse possible to torch something, from deeming the pineapple on my pizza not caramelized enough, to addressing the unmelted corners of cheese on burgers.  If you don't have a kitchen torch, you should probably go get one.  Stat.  And start torching things.  Immediately.  

My first order of torch business was a traditional crème brülée, because isn't that what one makes with a torch?  Well it was wonderful, but when the primary ingredients are heavy cream and egg yolks, it's not something I will be making often.  Sorry E.  I then stumbled upon this lovely recipe-- dark chocolate crème brülée without any heavy cream.  I'll be honest, it is not as luxuriously creamy as traditional crème brülée and the chocolate formed a bit of a separated layer on top, but it was good enough I'd make it again.  Plus, how can you dislike crème brülée you don't have to feel terribly guilty about?

Healthy Caesar Salad Dressing

Like my Snapware?  I keep it classy up in here...  For instance tonight me & E ate our salsa verde chicken enchiladas on paper plates.  We even used coated paper plates with gaudy flowers on the edges, which nearly requires we break out the stemware.  We're pretty impressive.  Really though... I actually do have nice serving bowls and platters, but those are reserved for when we have dinner guests.  Therefore, when I'm making myself Caesar salad for tomorrow's lunch it will be in Snapwear, and I will photograph it.  Hopefully one can look past the Snapwear to appreciate the deliciousness of Caesar and the fact that this dressing doesn't deliver fat content in the double-digits.  That way, if you like to eat some lettuce with your dressing, you don't need to feel guilty about it :)  

Lemon Chicken

The sir in my life is trying to eat healthier,  so we have been eating a lot of salad.  Today, in celebration of Thursday, we decided it was time to fry something.  (But it's totally justified because we ate it with like a gallon of steamed veggies...)  If you have more discipline than I do, feel free to sub in baked chicken.  My baked sweet & sour chicken (less the chinese five spice) would work great with this lemon sauce.

Five Minute Crusty White Bread

 I am not a baker.  I am a bad baker.  I mess up practically every baked good that involve more than adding water, oil, and eggs to a mix.  It's a sad fact I have come to accept.  This recipe, however, is virtually impossible to mess up.  It is fantastic.  And fast, and delicious.

Not only is it simple, but versatile too.  I make standard loafs, bread bowls, pizza crust, bread sticks, and so much more from this simple dough I keep in my fridge.

5 Cheese Pizza with Honey, Prosciutto, & Truffle Oil (Copy Cat Finch's Dordogne Pizza)

There are many things I love about Bloomington: the gorgeous landscape, the culture, the diverse (temperamental...) climate, the architecture, and most of all the food.  Bloomington boasts some absolutely delicious local restaurants; so knowing that my time here is waning, I've taken a greater interest in copying my favorite dishes.  Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, no? 
One of my absolute favorite menu items in town is from Finch's Brasserie, a restaurant that 'features local and organic products from area farms and cheese artisans'.  They have a really great seasonal menu, but I pretty much can't resist ordering my favorite pizza every time.  It's called The Dordogne, named after a region in France.  Their version has four cheeses, truffle honey, and prosciutto.  While my recipe isn't exactly the same (Anyone know where to find truffle honey in Bloomington?), the flavor is all there.