Spicy Spinach, Ricotta and Sausage Pizza

This bad boy's another restaurant appropriation. My husband and I frequent a wine bar across the street called Toast. It's super convenient for us, it has an excellent wine list with frequently-changing wines by the glass, it's fairly inexpensive, and we are quite fond of its modest but yummy menu, which includes like twenty kinds of crostini, a handful of pizzas, and a couple salads and sandwiches. It also has an amazing dessert menu, but that's neither here nor there as far as this post is concerned. What this post is concerned about is the pizza. Specifically, the spinach, ricotta, chile pepper, and provolone pizza. (Which will change to the zucchini, ricotta, chile pepper, and provolone pizza in a few short weeks, I imagine, when things start to grow here other than asparagus.)

I've made this a couple of times now. The first time, I made it exactly as I imagine they make it at Toast, except with a lot less cheese because, well, you know you can't ever use the amount of cheese in your at-home cooking as they use at restaurants. I'd like to. But neither my waistline nor my wallet can afford it. (Seriously. They must use three or four times as much provolone as I used.) The second time, I used a store-bought pizza crust and added smoked andouille sausage. It was even better, not only because, duh, it had sausage, but also because we have not yet mastered the art of homemade pizza dough, so something was lacking in that first go, something besides the sausage. (Plus the Rustic Crust pizza crusts are super tasty and often on sale at our co-op.)

If you live in Minneapolis and like a good flat-crust pizza, I highly recommend trying the original version of this pizza at Toast. (It's good. Good enough for me to copy and have in the comfort of my home not once but twice in the last month.) But if you aren't so lucky, or even if you are but sometimes just need a homemade version of a restaurant-style pizza with a fraction of the cheese, this little recipe will serve you well.

Spicy Spinach, Ricotta and Sausage Pizza

Yield: one 12" pizza, to serve 2-4 people (but let's be honest 2 people)

1 store-bought or oven-ready homemade pizza crust, 10-12 inches in diameter

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped

1/4 to 1 teaspoon dried red chile pepper flakes (or, heck, more if you really like spice)

2 big handfuls spinach (about 5 ounces, I'm guessing)

1/4 of a sweet onion (I used Texas 1015) or 2 shallots, thinly sliced and separated into rings

1/4 pound smoked andouille sausage (1-2 links), thinly sliced

2-3 ounces grated provolone cheese (about 1/2 cup)

Pictures above sort of show the process. Dollop ricotta cheese evenly over pizza crust. Top with garlic and red chile flakes. Next cover the whole pizza with a huge tower of spinach (it will flatten once cooked). Layer the onion or shallot rings and sausage before finally covering the provolone on top. Bake according to your crust's package instructions, or until the cheese and sausage are starting to brown (in my house, this meant about 10-12 minutes in a 425 degree oven). Let cool for about 5 minutes before slicing. Try not to eat the whole thing yourself.

Caramel Cake

I haven't posted a cake recipe for a while and, well, that just makes me feel like a failure what with this whole "Cake and Edith" business. I think this one will make up for the deficit however. It's lovely.

Let's talk about cake for a minute. When I was baking this, I stepped out of the house to run an errand (fire hazard! don't try this at home, kids!). When I returned, my home smelled warm, delicious, festive and sweet, and I felt that anyone who came over within a couple of days would experience the same sensory treat and would feel v. welcomed into my home. And hungry. What is special about cake as opposed to bread or cookies or something savory and aromatic is that a cake brings with it a lovely sense of occasion. It's reminiscent of parties and children and holidays and the people you love.

I really should make cake more often.

The cake part of this recipe is rather simple. It smells and tastes exactly like what a made-from-scratch yellow cake should do. The batter tastes frighteningly similar to the Cold Stone Creamery's yellow cake batter ice cream, only a little better, plus you know what's going into it (i.e., no "natural flavor" in this golden dreamcake). It would be nice frosted with chocolate ganache or a white buttercream. But that's not to say that the caramel is not wonderful, plus it requires using a candy thermometer (my first time and v. exciting!) and it soaks into the cake while the cake cools and, well, not that many things sound better than a perfect homemade yellow cake soaked in warm, homemade caramel, really, so maybe my ganache and buttercream ideas are useless.

The one thing I did not do but will do next time is this: I'd poke some holes into the cake with a fork before pouring the hot caramel on top. This would have taken the aforementioned "soaking" to a whole different level of decadent. A level where Colin Firth is about to take a swim behind an historic estate in the English countryside.

Caramel Cake

From Gourmet (R.I.P.), January 2008 and available at Epicurious.com

Yield: one 8" square cake; 16 small pieces

For cake

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)*

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, at room temperature 30 minutes (or placed in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes - my little trick)

1 cup buttermilk

For caramel glaze

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Equipment: a candy thermometer

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8" square cake pan and line with a square of parchment paper, then butter parchment.

Sift together flour*, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture may look curdled - actually, mine looked curdled right when I added the eggs, I think because I had let the half-finished mixture sit around for a while to comfort my baby, who was a bit moody while I was trying to make this). Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until each addition is just incorporated.

Spread batter evenly in cake pan, then rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles (loud noises!). Bake until golden (a wooden pick inserted in center of cake should come out clean), about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan. Invert onto rack and discard parchment, then cool completely, about 1 hour.

Now it's time to make the caramel glaze.

Bring cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, and a pinch of salt to a boil in a medium to large heavy saucepan (I used a 2-quart) over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Boil until glaze registers 210 to 212°F on thermometer, 12 to 14 minutes, then stir in vanilla.

Put rack with cake in a shallow baking pan and pour hot glaze over top of cake, allowing it to run down sides. If you have the willpower, cool until glaze is set, about 30 minutes.

* I experimented with the following substitution for cake flour when I made this: whisked together 1/4 cup cornstarch + 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, then sifted the mixture into a bowl and measured out the 2 cups + 2 tablespoons called for in the recipe. I recommend this substitution with reservations, i.e. only if you are really in a pinch. By which I mean, the cake turned out fine - the flavor was delicious and it had a nice crumb - but it lacked that silky, posh cake shop texture that results from using cake flour. I'm not sure the "homemade cake flour" I concocted did anything that straight-up all-purpose flour would not have done. Someday, when I have the time to do it and the company to taste-test, I would like to do a little Cake and Edith Test Kitchen experiment which would involve making three versions of this cake - one with cake flour, one with the cornstarch-flour mixture, and one with just regular all-purpose flour. Then I'd really know how significant the "reservations" in my "recommended with reservations" actually are. En fin.

Shakshuka (sort of)

I love eggs. I really do. We eat them for dinner at least once a week, and I have them for breakfast or lunch probably three times a week. I love them. They are a resourceful cook's go-to base, you know? Oh shoot, I have all these vegetables and cheese and am out of crackers and meat - let's make an omelette! Must use up that frozen pie crust and spinach - let's make quiche! Forgot to buy tortillas for enchiladas - sounds like a night for chilaquiles! Et cetera.

So imagine my glee when I found this recipe, which offered a whole new world of dinner possibilities: poaching eggs in sauce!? I had never thought to do that. Likely because I'd never before poached eggs period, let alone in sauce.

And then it got better and better, because I found delicious canned organic San Marzano tomatoes, which I didn't expect to find, and then I got to crush them with my hands, which made me feel v. fancy-meets-in-the-kitchen-trenches. This recipe is super easy, super quick, super cheap, and then - boom! - it ends up colorful, beautiful, and absolutely delicious.

The choice to use ricotta rather than the more traditional (and more decidedly Middle Eastern) crumbled feta in this recipe was more accidental than innovative. I was committed to keeping this inexpensive, and often that is best accomplished by using up what is in your refrigerator. I had ricotta. I love ricotta. It melted nicely and seeped into the eggs, making the dish, I suspect, a bit creamier than the versions on which it's based. And frankly, I think any cheese would work. What doesn't go with eggs, tomato sauce, and little spice, eh?

Shakshuka

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen > Saveur

Serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes (optional, for extra kick; alternatively throw in another jalapeño)

1 small yellow onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon paprika

1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained

Salt and pepper, to taste

6 eggs (or 5 if, say, you only have 5)

4 ounces ricotta cheese

1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)

Warm pitas, for serving

Heat oil and butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add jalapeños and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, fragrant, and starting to brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, red chili flakes, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands (this part is fun!). Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Season sauce with salt.

Have your eggs and ricotta ready to go. Gently crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce’s surface. Add tablespoon-sized dollops of the ricotta cheese around the eggs. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set, about 3 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle shakshuka with parsley and serve with pitas, for dipping.

Note: Deb from Smitten Kitchen, in her comments section, suggests that, if you are serving only 1 or 2 people, making the sauce with less eggs for the first go and then reheating the sauce on the stove later and adding eggs is the best way to enjoy this dish as leftovers. If you only like your eggs soft-poached, then follow this advice. I, however, cooked the whole thing and microwaved the leftovers the next day. The eggs ended up hard, but I like hard-cooked eggs, especially when they have been marinating overnight in a spicy red sauce, and found it quite lovely.

Heavenly S'mores Bars

This will be quick. I am already pushing my luck by starting this post right now - my baby is likely to wake up from her morning nap at any second. But it's fitting that this post be quick and dirty because the recipe is. Well, it's quick. It's not dirty. It's heavenly. The opposite of dirty, really. And a good way to use up the rest of those marshmallows you bought to make the OMG Cookies.

These are a version of Smitten Kitchen's infinitely adaptable blondies, from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. (Speaking of which, wouldn't that just be a lovely Mother's Day gift for a woman who is celebrating her first Mother's Day as a mother? Indeed. Either that or something shiny anyway.)

These blondies truly are infinitely adaptable, just as Deb from the Smitten Kitchen suggests. I have made them with regular old chocolate chips. I have made these here S'mores Bars. And last Thursday, craving a simple late-night dessert, I made them with some white chocolate chips, unsweetened coconut, and a quarter teaspoon of almond extract in place of the vanilla. So so good.

But back to the s'mores version.

Here's the trick: LOTS OF CANDY. Seriously. Look at largest photo in this collage -

- that is bowl of candy next to bowl of batter. Notice that the amount of candy is approximately equal to the amount of batter. This is an important ratio to keep in mind if you want your Heavenly S'mores Bars to be heavenly. The kind with huge chunks of melty chocolate and a gooey marshmallow burst in every bite. The kind that make you say, "Can I have s'more please?"

(What? I like musical theater. So sue me.)

You won't really want to sue me after you eat these.

You will want to marry me.

Heavenly S'mores Bars

A heavenly version of this

Yield: about 16-25, depending on how small you cut them - they are intense, so mini portions go over well

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch salt

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)

1 cup mini marshmallows (or a comparable amount of chopped up giant Israeli coconut-covered marshmallows)

4 ounce bar of bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, cut into chunks (or 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Butter an 8×8 pan. Preheat oven to 350.

Mix melted butter with brown sugar – stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add egg and then vanilla and stir until combined. Add salt and flour, and stir until combined. Mix in marshmallows and chocolate. Taste test. If you dare.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until set in the middle. Remember: gooey is good.

I will make these again, probably this weekend, and I think I am going to try using graham flour to really make them super duper all-out s'moresylicious. I'll let you know how it goes.

P.S. Baby's still sleeping! Rock on!