You know how it is

If you are a reader of my blog, you know how I get sometimes. Too much work all at once, new stuff going on, general ennui at the State of the Union...make Newbius an unhappy boy. Hence the light posting.

Good news? Pizza is doing well.

Bad news? Japan is glowing like an iridescent fish tank under a black light. Oh, and ObeyMe now wants to talk about guns. Bully for him. Maybe he can get hisself down to the range and get edumacated about the subject before he does something stupid.

Never mind...who am I kidding. Cass Sunstein is going to 'nudge' us into a less-than-civil war instead.

I think I am going to pour myself a bourbon...

Newbius

What's for dessert?

We had a few friends over for dinner tonight. Nothing special, just conversation and snowball fights, when the subject of dessert came up. As in, "What's for dessert?"

I hadn't planned for dessert. However, being fearless in the kitchen, I tossed out "How about chocolate cream pie or maybe chocolate mousse?" I got a table full of head nods...

I've never made a chocolate mousse before. I mean, sure, I've seen it done. I know the basic concept. Heck, Alton Brown can do it. Why not?

So, while the teens went out to play in the snow, I hopped onto the Internet to look up recipes since Joy of Cooking was rather sparse in the mousse department. Ah, well. Seven web sites and ten recipes later, I didn't find anything that I thought would work for my available time and ingredients. So, I decided to craft my own.

Here it is:

Quick and Rich Chocolate Mousse
Total prep time, 30 minutes

12 ounces Heavy Whipping cream
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp Butter
4 oz Dark Chocolate (70% or greater), shaved, ground, or chopped into small pieces.
4 oz Toll house morsels (or you can just use 8 oz of Toll house morsels instead)
2 Large eggs, separated into whites and yolks
2 Tbsp Amaretto
Rounded 1/4c finely granulated sugar
scant ¼ tsp cream of tartar

Nested mixing bowls for an ice bath

Whip egg whites and cream of tartar until they form soft peaks, then gradually add sugar, while continuing to whip, until thoroughly incorporated and mixture forms stiff peaks and has a glossy sheen.

In Medium saucepan over medium heat, Heat one half of the cream, the salt, and the vanilla to a simmer. Add the chocolate and butter into it and whisk thoroughly until chocolate is melted. DO NOT BOIL. Immediately remove from heat and whisk the egg yolks one at a time into the mixture, blending completely before adding the next. Add Amaretto and mix thoroughly, and then transfer to a mixing bowl floating in an ice bath. Whip using electric hand mixer while adding remaining cream until all cream is added and chocolate mixture forms firm peaks and valleys.

Gently fold whites into chocolate until no streaks are visible, and then chill for 2 hours, covered, before serving.

Serve in martini glass topped with whatever suits your fancy.

Optional:
4 ounces Heavy Whipping Cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp granulated sugar

Whip together until stiff peaks form and top mousse with it.

This dessert is very rich. Depending on your tolerance for decadence, this recipe will yield anywhere from one to twelve servings. :)

The only problem I had with the recipe was that it never made it into the 'fridge to chill. It was GONE as soon as it hit the serving glasses. Hopefully yours will last a little longer. Or not. Enjoy!

Pax,

Newbius

EDIT: Daughter corrects me and says that the mousse was Sharon's idea (a friend), not mine...oh, well. It still rocked. :)

Making Pizza...

I love pizza. The number one fast food in America, and I love it. I'll eat it cold for breakfast if it is in the 'fridge. Put anything on it (even anchovies-in moderation) and it is a real meal. I'd eat it every day and not get tired of it, as long as I got to vary the toppings...

You can do that with pizza.

The only trouble is, it is getting expensive. I guess the cost of everything is being increased by the cost of everything else (see previous post). Whatever. Since I love to cook, and I've got to feed at least three teenagers every Friday ('cause Friday is "Pizza Night" and has been for about 16 years) I have decided to dive into rolling my own.

Fun stuff.

The hardest part has been perfecting the crust. I think I have just about nailed the dough recipe, and I am still playing with oven temp to get that just-right doneness on the bread without burning the cheese. You know...food experimentation. Alton Brown would be proud.

Here's my dough recipe:

2 ¼ Cups Water, 85°-110°F
1 Tbsp Sugar
4 ½ Tsp Active Dry Yeast (or 2 packages, I use Red Star)
1 Tsp Salt
¼ Cup Olive Oil
4 (+) Cups King Arthur Bread Flour
4 (+) Cups King Arthur All-Purpose Flour

Instructions:

Combine Water, Sugar, and Yeast in mixing bowl of Stand Mixer (I use a Kitchen Aid 325 Watt, 5 quart) and allow mixture to sit for 3-5 minutes until foamy. Add salt and oil and stir until salt dissolves.

Add Flour and mix with dough hook at low speed until smooth dough ball forms. (If necessary, add additional flour to smooth out the mixture, but not more than an additional ½ cup.)

Allow dough to rest and rise, covered, until doubled in bulk. Punch down and divide into 3 equal portions. Cover, and allow dough to rise again until doubled in bulk.

Roll out on board coated with 50/50 mixture of flour and corn meal, transfer to stone, pan, screen, whatever, and top with sauce and toppings.

I bake them at 450F for about 15 minutes. I use 13" pizza stones and get 3 nice, thick, crusts that are light and a little chewy. If you like your pizza dough with more "chew", use all Bread Flour (instead of half) or you can even go to a high-gluten flour. You can also increase the olive oil and reduce the water (1:1 substitution-up to 3/4 cup of oil-but I like the lighter flavor and texture of this ratio).

You can make this dough as much as a day in advance, but you will have to use COLD water for the yeast, and proof the dough in the refrigerator to slow down the rise (only one rise this way too). Your dough will be even heartier this way since the gluten will have had more time to form in the bread dough. Make sure you cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap if you put it in the 'fridge, so you don't get stray odors from last night's fish or last week's chinese leftovers. You know you have some of that in there...

I make a nice sauce too, but that is another post altogether. Sauces and toppings. Mmmmm. Maybe two posts. :)

The best thing to come out of rolling my own pizza? I get to spend a little more time with the kids and their friends. I know where they are on Friday night, since they are in my kitchen helping make their own special, custom pizza pies. The $30 a week I save is just pure added bonus.

Try it. The Domino's down the block might not like you for it, but I assure you that you will enjoy the process and the pizza. Your kids might even stay home on Friday night.

Cheers!

Newbius