Tag Archives: Prosciutto

Blue Cheese, caramelised pear & crispy prosciutto pizza

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feat. Cow’s Creamery “Blue Moo” cheese

Makes enough dough for 2x 12inch pizzas; toppings for 1x 12inch pizza

Ingredients

Pizza Dough (makes enough for 2x 12 inch pizzas)

  • 1 1/3 cups) warm water
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 3 ½  cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 2 Tablespoons cornmeal
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Topping (for 1, 12 inch pizza)

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto,
  • 5oz Cows Creamery “Blue Moo”, soft blue cheese
  • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 large Bosc pears, cored and sliced, ½ inch thick
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • ¼ cup chopped walnut pieces
  • ½ cup fresh arugula

Method

Pizza Dough

  1. Whisk the warm water, yeast, and granulated sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer.
  2. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes
  3. Add the olive oil, salt, and flour. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes
  4. Beat the for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready
  5. Lightly grease a large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with oiled cling wrap. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes or until double in size
  6. Preheat a pizza stone in a 500°F oven for 20-25 minutes

To prepare the toppings

  1. Finely chop garlic and heat in the olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, being careful not to allow the garlic to burn. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool
  2. Simmer the balsamic vinegar to reduce the volume by about half. It should thicken slightly. Set aside until needed
  3. In a large skillet, melt the butter and brown sugar together over medium heat. Add the pears in a single layer and cook for about 10 minutes turning once, to caramelize the pears. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside until needed

To finish and bake the pizza

  1. When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough in half. (If not making 2 pizzas, freeze half of the dough for another time. Stretch the dough into about a 12-13inch round
  2. Place the dough round on a wooden peel that has been well sprinkled with cornmeal. Make sure your pizza is sliding on the cornmeal base before adding your toppings
  3. Brush the garlic olive oil from earlier all over the center of the dough
  4. Add the Cows Creamery blue cheese in about 1 teaspoon sized pieces along with arranging  the pears and prosciutto. (Keep the ingredients in a single layer as this helps the pizza crust stay crisp and cook quickly) Sprinkle over the walnut pieces
  5. Shake your peel to make sure the pizza is not stuck. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone
  6. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the bottom is evenly brown and the top cheese begins to brown slightly. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Slide off you pizza stone to serving board
  7. Sprinkle over the fresh arugula and drizzle with the balsamic reduction
  8. Slice, serve and enjoy!

Recipe- Italian Stromboli

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So this week on The Great British Bake Off it was ‘Bread’ week (step forward Mr. Paul Hollywood looking rather smug). The bakers were challenged to a quick bread (typically soda bread); make some baguettes- this ended up with me screaming repeatedly at the TV and finally a 3-d bread sculpture. Yup- bread. Now while I didn’t attempt any of these in the vein of Bake Off fever, I did make something to keep up the theme itself.

I’m not sure why but over the past couple of weeks I’ve had stromboli on the brain. Please don’t be alarmed it isn’t a medical condition. Strombloi is in fact a stuffed loaf of Italian origin. Or as some people like to call it ‘Pizza Roll Bread’. Now for me that name just doesn’t do it justice. I much prefer it’s ‘Stromboli’ title (go ahead call me bourgeoise!). And so stromboli would be my #TheGreatBeardedBakeOff recipe for this week’s theme. Yes I know it’s not one of the challenges but I like to think outside the box; left of the middle etc etc – ’cause I’m crazy like that!

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Italian Strombloi

500g strong white bread flour

7g fast yeast

10g fine sea salt

40ml extra virgin olive oil

350ml warm water

1 tablespoon dried oregano

4 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for topping

125g buffalo mozzarella cheese, torn into pieces

75g sun-dried tomatoes, patted fry of any oil, roughly chopped

12g fresh basil leaves

80g prosciutto ham

Method

– In the bowl of a stand mixer place the flour; salt (to one side); yeast (to the opposite side; oregano and 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese.

– Add the olive oil and 300ml of water.

– Using the dough hook attachment, mix the ingredients for 2-3 mins until fully combined. Add the remaining water in 2-3 pours until it’s all incorporated. Increase the speed in accordance to your machines instructions and continue to knead for 8 minutes. By the end of the kneading time the dough should be smooth and elastic.

– Once the dough has risen, tip it out onto a lightly oiled work-surface and knock the dough back until all the air has been removed. Flatten in to a rectangular shape, roughly 40cm x30cm, with the long edge facing you. It doesn’t need to be perfect.

– Over the surface of the dough scatter the remaining 3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese. Then scatter the mozzarella pieces; the sun-dried tomatoes and the basil leaves. Lay the slices of prosciutto at intervals over the dough surface to finish filling it.

– Working on the long edge, roll up the dough in to a sausage shape, trapping the filling inside. Normally with stromboli it s left as a long loaf  but I prefer to roll itself into a spiral shape and tuck the end underneath. This is entirely up to you.

– Place the rolled up dough onto a baking sheet line with baking parchment. Leave to prove in a warm room until roughly doubled in size.

– Preheat you oven to 220 degrees C.

– When proved, lightly spray the surface of the dough with water, and sprinkle with semolina and some finely grated parmesan.

– Place a baking tray filled with water into the bottom fo the oven, and place the baking tray with the dough on the middle shelf. Bake the dough for 20 mins, after which reduce the oven temperature to 190 degrees C and bake for another 10 mins or until it golden and sounds hollow when tapped underneath.

– Once the loaf is baked remove from the oven place on a wire rack to cool. This tastes great as a picnic loaf or served with some fresh salad as a delicious alternative to pizza!

– Enjoy!

There’s a Moose…loose…aboot this hoose

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I recently managed to get my hands on what I predict will be a hit of 2015- Moose Maple Butter. It’s a delicious blend of “organic butter, Grade A maple syrup and a dash of sea-salt”- all the brain child of the wonderful Farrah. As a fan of maple syrup I cannot recommend this highly enough. Not quite the sticky OTT maple hit that you get from syrup, the butter and sea-salt counter what could be a sweetness overload to give a rich, velvety and utterly moreish spread.

absolutely

I tried it first at the weekend, smeared over some hot crumpets. I was in heaven! Anything so simple that tastes that divine is a must have in my book. Sadly I was too overcome with awe (okay, okay I was too busy smearing and stuffing my face) to remember to take a photograph of the crumpets, transformed into shining amulets whafting of sweet maple-y goodness. But fear not! I have not completely abandoned my baking vocation in favourite of crumpets. In addition to its ease of use straight from the jar, Moose Maple Butter also would appear to be a wonderful addition to any bakers list of ingredients.

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Rather than go my usual route of cupcakes and soft bakes, I decided to try Moose Maple Butter out in cookies…but with a twist. Are you intrigued? If so carry on…

Maple Butter Cookies with prosciutto dust.

Maple Butter Cookies with prosciutto dust.

Maple Butter Cookies with prosciutto dust

These are my take on the all American breakfast favourite of pancakes, bacon and maple syrup. Crisp, mellow with a wonderful smoky saltiness from the prosciutto dust these are a great treat to snuggle down in front of the TV with. If made to a smaller size they also make a wonderfully different party bite.

Ingredients

185g Self-raising flour

185g Plain flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

125g Moose Maple Butter, softened to room temp

125g light brown sugar

3 slices prosciutto ham

 

Method

  • Preheat oven to 180 C (electric)/ 140 C (fan). Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
  • Cream together maple butter and sugar until light and fluffy. You need to do this for at least between 10- 12mins. The easiest way to check is to feel a little mixture between you thumb and forefinger. If it still feels a little grainy you need to mix some more. If it feels smooth- you’re good to go.
  • Add the egg, sift in the flours and salt and mix together until mixture comes together. At this point you may chill it in the fridge for about 20 mins if you prefer an easier to work with dough.
  • Turn onto lightly floured surface.
  • Roll mixture out to into walnut sized balls. Transfer to prepared tray.
  • Using a fork dipped in water, quickly press into the surface of the ball to flatten slightly and make grooves.
  • Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and transfer, using a fish slice or wide spatula, to a cooling rack.
  • Whilst the cookies are cooling, dry fry the prosciutto slices in a pan until they darken and become crisp.
  • Remove, leave to cool and further crisp up. When fully cooled, the ham will become quite crisp and hard.
  • Break the crisp ham slices into a mortar and grind with a pestle to a fine powder.
  • Sprinkle the prosciutto powder over the cooled cookies, allowing it to catch into the surface grooves.
  • Enjoy!

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If you’d like to know more about Farrah, Moose Maple Butter please do head over to the website at www.moosemaple.co.uk I’m sure there’s big things in store for the Moose!

In the meantime,

“Remember Mom’s the word- that’s Mr. Mom’s!”