Chicago Pizza

Have you ever eaten the famous, deep dish, impossibly cheesy Chicago-style pizza? James and I just returned from a weekend in the Windy City and could not leave without a taste of their claim to fame. The three most well-known pizzeria’s in the city — Gino’s East, Lou Malnati’s and Giordano’s — all serve up the specialty. We choose Giordano’s along Magnificent Mile. We ordered a 10-inch, six slice, half-veggie-half-ground-beef-and-garlic, pizza. As you can see below, it has an amazing amount of cheese. The pizza takes 35 minutes to cook and is layered, from the bottom: crust, cheese, toppings, cheese, cheese, marinara sauce. James’ post-dinner tweet says it all: “Ate pizza at Giordano’s. Be still my heart! No seriously, my heart just stopped.”

pizza at giorgano's

Butternut Squash Bread Pudding

Until this week I was unaware that bread pudding could be anything but a warm, amazing dessert that includes some variation of bananas, apples, currants, caramel and white or dark chocolate. But now there’s new territory to explore. As our first exploration into bread pudding possibilities, we found scrumptious results that eliminated any skepticism or worry about a breadular mismatch at the dinner table.

butternut squash bread pudding

Ingredients
Source: Adapted from Simply in Season
3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch squares
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
2 cups milk
1 cup parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
8 cups day-old rosemary or french bread, chopped into 1-inch cubes

Directions
Preheat oven to 400
1. Arrange squash in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Bake in oven for about 12 minutes until tender. Remove and turn oven down to 350.
2. While squash is in the oven, heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat, sautee onions until soft then add garlic for another minute or so. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Whisk together eggs, egg whites, milk, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in squash, onion and garlic mixture.
4. Add bread to bowl and stir gently to combine so bread is coated. Let soak for 10 minutes. Spoon bread mixture into 8×8 glass, or 9 inch round, baking dish.
5. Sprinkle 1/2 cup parmesan on top and bake for about 45 minutes, until custard is set and top is browned.

Voila!

Apple Cranberry Crisp

I told you I’d have lots of apple recipes for you, and here’s one more! It may look like a funny mass of oats and apples, but it’s actually a heap of pure autumn goodness with a kick of cranberry tartness. We’re a bit appled-out here at the Kotecki Kompound (i.e. our one bedroom apartment), but there are plenty more fall recipes to look forward to! Why just this week I had my first bite of pumpkin bread of the season. Hip, hip, hooray (for the fall)!

apple cranberry crisp

Ingredients
Source: Adapted from Simply Recipes
7 tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 10 oz. bag of frozen cranberries, thawed
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 rounded tsp. cinnamon
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup butter, room temperature

Directions
Preheat oven to 375.
1. In a mixing bowl, combine apples, 3/4 of the bag of cranberries, lemon juice, and vanilla. Toss to combine.
2. Layer sliced apples in a 9 x 12-inch baking pan.
3. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and oatmeal in a bowl. Cut in the butter. Sprinkle sugar mixture over apples.
4. Bake 45 minutes or until topping looks crunchy and apple-cranberry mixture are tender.

Voila!

Grandma G’s Applesauce

The video says it all:

Ingredients
Source: Grandma G
18-20 apples (I used stayman and empire. Grandma G recommends jonagold. It’s up to you.)
1/4-1/2 cup sugar
1 rounded tsp. cinnamon

NOTES FROM GRANDMA G:
- “The ideal apple, I think, is the Jonagold (from Cornell Orchard) I usually do use at least two kinds of apples – seemed like the MacIntosh did make it pinker.”
- “If I double the number of apples I don’t usually double the amount of water – maybe half again as much – how “watery” it is depends on the specific apple you used.”
- “You have no doubt figured out by now that the applesauce is much thicker after being in the fridge. If too thick you can always stir in some apple juice, cider, or even water.”

Directions
1. Quarter apples, keep skin on.
2. Place apples in large soup pot. For every eight apples, add two cups water.
3. Bring to boil, then turn down to low and simmer for 25-35 minutes. While apples are simmering, prepare applesauce contraption over a large bowl.
4. When the apples are soft to the touch when poked with a fork, scoop apples in glass measuring cup. Drain water and pour apples into applesauce contraption. Using pestle mush the apples so that they begin to strain out of the cone and into the bowl. Repeat step four for the rest of the apples.
5. While applesauce is still warm, add sugar and cinnamon and stir. (NOTE: Start with 1/4 cup sugar and go from there. I added 1/2 cup and it was plenty.)

Voila!

UPDATE: This applesauce recipe actually goes back to Grandma G’s father (!), James Allen. Hooray for family traditions!

Apple Upside Down Cake

Behold! One of many apple-related recipes coming your way. It’s fall which means it’s apple baking season. Apples are available all year round, but fall baking with apples just seems so right. I’m here to tell the tale of my first attempt at an upside down cake. The story is short and simple: it’s so good! That’s all, your turn.

apple upside down cake

Ingredients
Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food
10 T. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 apples, Empire, Gala or Granny Smith, each peeled, cored, and sliced into wedges
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Coat bottom and side of a 9-inch round cake pan with 2 tablespoons butter; sprinkle bottom with brown sugar. In a medium bowl, toss apples with lemon juice; arrange in prepared pan in two concentric circles (you might not use all of them).
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
3. With an electric mixer, beat remaining 8 tablespoons butter with granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. With mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture in three parts and the milk in two, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
4. Spoon batter over apples in pan; smooth top.
5. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes (check around 45 minutes since all ovens cook differently). Cool cake in pan on a wire rack, at least 30 minutes. To serve, run a knife around edge of pan, and invert cake onto a rimmed platter.

Voila!

An American Classic (with a twist): Grilled Cheese

Growing up, my dad would make me a “squished sandwich” instead of grilled cheese because I didn’t like melted cheese. Here’s how it worked: we’d slice some cheese and set it aside. Then toast some wheat bread until it was almost burnt. Take the slices out of the toaster, place the cheese in the middle, reassemble, and using your hand, squish the sandwich down (hence the name). It was heaven. The bread toasty and crunchy and the cheese just slightly melted.

I’ve now moved beyond squished sandwiches and onto actual grilled cheese. But instead of a simple cheese and bread combo, here’s a twist: a better cheese — like gruyere or really sharp cheddar, sourdough or other crusty bread, a spread of dijon mustard, a few drops of worcestershire sauce and a tomato. Now that’s irresistible.

grilled cheese

Ingredients
Source: Me
2 slices sourdough bread
1 slice tomato, thinly sliced
3/4 cup (approximately) grated gruyere
1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
dijon mustard

Directions
Preheat panini machine to medium-high heat

1. Spread dijon mustard on bread. Sprinkle cheese evenly. Pour worcestershire over cheese. Add tomato. Add the final slice of bread on top and place on panini machine for 4-5 minutes, or until bread it completely toasted and cheese melted.

Voila!

Rugelach

Cooking is a surprisingly great distraction when you’re fasting. I don’t usually fast, trust me, but on Yom Kippur (Sept. 27-28, ‘09) it’s part of the holiday. When I need to taste something, I just ask James to be my taster for more salt or pepper or any other ingredient.

Even though I’m standing over food for hours prepping the break-the-fast-feast (say that 10 times in a row), I’m more focused on having everything cooked and timed correctly. It’s like when I come home from work to make dinner. I may be hungry, but in pursuit of getting dinner on the table I forget the rumblings in my stomach until we sit down and eat.

Anyway, to celebrate the sweet new year and a fresh start, I cooked up a feast of roast chicken stuffed with kasha, savory noodle kugel and a pear and walnut salad. Then for dessert we helped ourselves to these amazing little cookies. Jeremy and James would eat one, then discuss whether or not to have another. That went on for about 4 or 5 cookies. They’re just that good, especially when they’re warm. Enjoy!

rugelach

Ingredients
Source: Ina Garten
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar plus 9 tablespoons
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 cup apricot (or other) preserves, pureed in a food processor
1 egg beaten with 1 T. milk, for egg wash

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheet with parchment paper.

1. Cream the cheese and butter in the bowl with electric mixer until light. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla.
2. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured board and roll it into a ball. Cut the ball in quarters, wrap each piece in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. To make the filling, combine 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, cinnamon, the raisins, and walnuts.
4. On a well-floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle. Spread the dough with 2 tablespoons preserves and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the filling. Press the filling lightly into the dough. Cut the circle into 12 equal wedges—cutting the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter into thirds. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge.
5. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.
6. Brush each cookie with the egg wash. Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on the cookies. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned.

Voila!

Caramel Apple Pear Cobbler

Ignore the semi-burnt pecans and let me tell you about this cobbler. It has an oatmeal cookie-slash-muffin-hybrid cobbler topping, amazing homemade caramel and just delicious apple and pears. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and maybe some tea and you’ve got yourself one of the best fall desserts. Or, you could bring this to a dinner party and make lots of new friends.

caramel apple pear cobbler

Ingredients
Source: Bake or Break
filling
3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 T. all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
3 large pears, peeled and sliced
cobbler topping
3/4 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
3 T. butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten
pecans for garnishing

Directions
filling:
Preheat oven to 425. Lightly grease a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate or shallow 2-quart (8×8) baking dish. Set aside.

1. Combine apples, brown sugar, and flour. Stir to coat apples.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple mixture and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Add pears and cook, stirring often, for 5 more minutes. Spoon fruit into prepared pan.

the topping:
1. Combine flour, oats, dates, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Stir together milk, butter, and egg. Add to dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
2. Spoon over fruit mixture.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Garnish with pecans.

Voila!