Most people would agree with me when I say, “I love pizza!” Just look at a phone book from anywhere in the US and you’ll find page after page of listings for pizza joints. There is just something about the interaction of crust, sauce and toppings that make the whole so much greater than its parts. A great pie is truly a work of art, and those that take time to perfect the craft are true artisans, in my humble opinion. And while I have never met a pizza I didn’t like, there are a lot of mediocre pies out there. Eighty percent of the pizza joints are turning out pizza that is adequate, but doesn’t really capture the true bliss that a great pizza can invoke. Luckily there are still people out there that view making pizza not so much a job as it is a calling. These are the people and places that I search out whenever I come to a new town. Unfortunately, not every town has a great pizza place, but if you are lucky, there is one close by. True pizza artisans are a bred apart. Most of them learned their craft early in life and have been churning out pies for years and years. Many of these guys…and gals live, eat and breath pizza. To some this may seem strange, to me these people are almost godlike. Well, okay, that may be overstating the fact, but I think you get the picture, I am a true lover of pizza!

I have to admit, that as much as I love pizza, I still haven’t perfected my pizza making skills. Oh, I make a really good pizza, but I can’t compete with the masters. Pizza making just isn’t in my blood, though that doesn’t stop me from trying to perfect the craft. Tonight’s incursion into the realm of pizza making turned out quite well and I feel good about sharing my latest in crust experimentation with you. I am not usually a fan of thin crust pies. I prefer one with a a little more chew and little less crispy crunch. I think this crust nicely bridges the two realms. It is thin and provides a nice crisp crunch around the edges but is still just a little doughy in the middle. It also provides a nice flavor due to the long, slow first rising. This recipe will make enough dough for 2 medium sized pizzas, or 4-6 small pies, great for allowing each family member to top their own pizza. Provide a number of toppings and let everyone create their own favorite combos. My wife likes the fresher flavors of olive oil, fresh tomatoes, and fresh basil, added just as the pizza comes out of the oven. Me, I prefer something a little more pedestrian, topped with sauce, hot Italian sausage, pepperoni, onions and mushrooms.

Pizza Crust
1 Tbsp. Active Dry Yeast
2 3/4 cups All-purpose Flour
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. Lukewarm Water
1 tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Honey
1 Tbsp. Olive oil

Combine the water, yeast, honey and olive oil in a small bowl and stir to dissolve the yeast. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes until it starts to foam. Meanwhile combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the water/yeast mixture to the well and slowly bring the dough together with a fork. Once the dough has formed, switch from the fork to your hands and knead the dough for about 5 minutes, adding a little water or flour to make a soft but not sticky dough. Brush a bowl with olive oil and place the dough ball in the bowl turning it to cover with olive oil. Place in the refrigerator and allow to proof for 8-10 hours. Punch down dough and divide into either 2, 4, or 6 portions, depending on your preference. Roll into individual balls, place on an oiled cookie sheet, cover and allow to proof again, at room temperature until double in size, about 1-1 1/2 hours. With your hand flatten into a circle and start to stretch the dough. You will then need to finish with a rolling pin to get the dough down to about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Top as you would like and bake in a 500 degree oven, on a pizza stone.

Years ago, while working as a sous chef, one of the restaurants I worked at lost their pastry chef. It fell on me to cover pastries until the owners decided if they wanted to hire a new pastry chef or do without. Now, I can hold my own in a pastry shop, but I have to admit it is not one of my favorite things to do. Sure, I love playing around and baking every now and then, but to do it for 8-10 hours a day, day after day is not something I really enjoy all that much. There was one exception though, and that was the making of ice creams and sorbets. I absolutely loved the whole process and had lots of fun experiementing with different flavors and combinations. It helped that I am an ice cream junkie and if I had to taste test experiement after experiement until I got a new flavor just right, well then….I sacrifices I had to make for my career! When it came to sorbets, many of my experiements revolved around trying to recreate cocktails as dessert. The key to a successful “cocktail” sorbet was a balance of alcohol and sugar. Too little of either and the sorbet came out “icy” while too much of either and the sorbet wouldn’t freeze solid enough. Along the way I learned a number of other tricks also, one of which I am sharing in the recipe below.

Of all sorbets, I am most fond of passionfruit and citrus sorbets. I love the sweet-tart tanginess of these sorbets. They are prefect year round, their vibrant freshness brighening a winter’s day or acting as a cool refreshment on a hot summer day. To really play upon citrus’s flavor I like to take a three pronged approach to infusing my sorbets with as much flavor as possible. To do this not only do I use the juice of the citrus fruit, but also the zest, which gets used 2 in the recipe. This recipe only contains 3 ingredients and 1 optional one, but you’ll be amazed by the flavor you can achieve from only 3 items.

One word about zesting citrus fruit; do yourself a favor and buy a zester. They are not expensive and save you so much time. The other options are using a grater to zest the fruit which gives you a poor yield or using a peeler, which is time consuming as you then need to go back with a knife and remove any of the white pith you might have left on the peel, and then slice it into strips.

3 each Pink Grapefruits
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Water
1-2 Tbsp. Grenadine

Wash the grapefruits and zest 2 of the grapefruits. Combine the water, sugar, and zest in a saucepot and bring to a boil. Just cook until the sugar is dissolved then remove from the heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes so that the zest can infuse the simple syrup with its flavor. Meanwhile zest the third grapefruit and very finely mince the zest. Measure out 1/2 Tbsp. for the recipe and reserve the rest for another use. Juice and strain the grapefruits. This should yield approximately 2 cups of juice. Stir the mince zest into the juice. Strain the simple syrup into a measuring cup. It should be about 12 ounces. Pour half of it into the juice. Taste and adjust to your liking. It should taste overly sweet as the freezing process will deaden the sweetness considerably. I like my sorbets pretty tart so I stop with the 6 ounces. If you want something a little sweeter add a couple more ounces. If the color is not to your liking add the grenadine to bump up the color. You could also try food coloring, but be very careful, you want a nice light pink color, not red. Chill for at least 2 hours then freeze, in an ice cream maker, following the manufacturer’s directions. Once it is done it is ready to eat, but I like to give my sorbets and ice creams a chance to harden in the freezer overnight before I dig into them.

In our day and age we often forget how easy cooking and preparing food can be. Sure cooking can be complicated and time consuming, but it can also be fast and easy. It’s easy to forget this as grocery stores offer us every conceivable convenience food under the sun. From cake mixes to frozen entrees, to row after row of condiments and sauces, grocery stores allow people to go through life without ever having to learn how to cook. It’s sad because cooking can be so simple and yet taste so much better than those convenience products. A perfect example of this is Mustard Vinaigrette. This dressing is so quick, simple and highly customizable, yet there are plenty of people who will always reach for that bottle of Italian or French dressing because they can’ be bothered to whip up a quick batch or don’t know how. Well, no more excuses. Here is the down and dirty recipe that will take all of 5 minutes to make, with ingredients most people, nowadays, have on hand.

1 Tbsp. Green Onion, minced (white part only)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Cider vinegar
1 cup Salad (or Veg.) oil
1/2 cup Olive oil
1 pinch Salt
1 tsp Pepper

Combine all the ingredients except the oils and whisk to together. Slowly drizzle in the salad oil and the olive oil whisking the entire time. Check the season and adjust to your taste. That’s it. That’s all there is to it. And the best part is that it tastes 100 times better than any store bought dressing. The other great thing about this recipe is that it is easily customizable to what you have on hand or to what you are serving it on. Have some shallots then use those in place of the green onion, or use minced garlic if you prefer garlic. No Dijon on hand, use whole grain mustard or flavored mustard, just stay away from the yellow stuff for this recipe. Prefer a lighter, more delicate vinegar use white wine or champagne vinegar. Dressing heartier greens or roasted vegetables then try malt or sherry vinegar. Do you have any fresh herbs on hand? Mince those up and add them in. Most herbs would work great in this recipe, but some that really stand out would be tarragon, sage, rosemary, thyme, and/or marjoram.

With summer just around the corner, try this recipe out on some of the lettuces and vegetables you pick up at your local farmer’s market. They deserve a dressing that will compliment their flavors, not some store bought goop that will mask everything it coats.

“Flag raising on Iwo Jima.” Joe Rosenthal, Associated Press, February 23, 1945. National Archives and Records Administration

Barbecues, picnics, family gatherings, and the start of the Summer season; for most of us that is what Memorial Day weekend means. Festivals abound, summer cabins get opened for the season and we often spend so much time running around and “relaxing” that we are glad to see the work week start. Unfortunately, in today’s society we have kind of forgotten the original intent of the holiday. We have turned a somewhat solemn occasion of rememberance into a 3-day weekend party. Don’t worry I have no intention of turning this into some political diatribe either for or against the current or past administrations, nor do I have any desire to discuss the merits or pitfalls of the wars this country has fought. I’ll leave that to others more versed in these subjects. No matter what your political views are, we all owe it to the young men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice, when our country called upon them, to remember them and the lives they laid down. I have to admit, I am one of the masses that was so busy this weekend that I forgot to take a moment to remember our troops and all of the fallen. I raced through my weekend traveling from one adventure to another. The weekend provided me with ample fodder for this blog and as I sat down to collect my thoughts it dawned on me that not once, throughout the whole weekend, did I give a single thought to the reason for this weekend. So tonight, no recipes, no disserations on cocktails, and no trips down memory lane. Tonight, I ask you to take a moment and reflect on the reason behind this holiday and to remember all of our young soliders, both living and fallen and the families they have left behind.

It’s 5:30am and the house is quite, so very quite. Not even the dogs and cats are on the prowl which is unusual as they often get up as soon as I do, either looking for food or to go out to relieve themselves. But this morning it is just me. I should be in bed. I hate this time of day, and though I usually get up at 6:30 or so I have never gotten used to it. I am definitely someone who prefers night to morning. This morning though I awoke to persistent, nagging thoughts, Thoughts that could not be ignored. If you read my introduction post then you probably read my article on being a “sell-out” chef here and know that some time ago I moved from the restaurant world into the world of institutional foodservice. I am happy about the move I have made. It has given me back a semblance of a normal life. I get to spend time with my wife and daughter, I get to explore hobbies I have put on the back burner for years, and I it has given me the time and distance I have needed to help revitalize that passion for food I once had. Sometimes, though, I have my doubts. I miss the life and sometimes wonder where I would be if I had made different decisions in my life. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t regret any of those decisions, but I do sometimes wonder what life would have been like if I had chosen differently. My recent “crisis of faith” if you could call it that, came as I was surfing the web, not long ago, and came across the website for Schwa. “Schwa” is owned and run by a chef who used to be a cook for me, in Chicago. I think it is great that Michael has excelled in his career and I am glad to see that he reached the potential I saw in him so many years ago, but I also can’t help feeling a little jealous. Here’s a young man who as risen to the pinnacle of his career and with so many more years to go, he could rise even higher. Sometimes I feel that that should be me. I should be the one creating cutting edge food, the one receiving all the press and accolades, the one completely dedicated to his craft. But then I look in on my beautiful, little daughter, still asleep and I know the decision to choose my family over my career was the right choice. In fact, for me, it was the only choice. I know that the jealously I feel towards all those cooks of mine, who went on to greater things, pales in comparison to the regret I would feel at missing my daughter grow up. I’ve worked under many a chef who missed most of their children’s lives and I made a pact with myself that no matter how passionate I became about my career, I would never lose focus about what is important in life. For me the most important thing is my family. So, while the doubts and jealously might linger, I know, that for me, I have made the right decision and I have no regrets about the path I have chosen for myself.

Spring has truly arrived and summer is not far behind. “How do I know this,” you ask. Simple, I have finally moved my grills out from the protection of the garage and placed them up on the deck where I do all my spring, summer, and early fall grilling. Once the cold and snow sets in I move the grills to the front of the garage to give myself some protection during cold weather grilling. Yes, I am one of those. I grill out all year round, and have even made it a tradition of grilling our turkey for Thanksgiving. I’ve also been known to grill out in the middle of a snow storm if the craving for a grilled burger strikes. But these are stories for another time.

Yesterday, I was drinking a Black Cherry soda and I got to thinking about how it would taste as a base for a glaze on grilled chicken wings. It’s not as far-fetched as it sounds. Many veterans of BBQ competitions use coke in their BBQ sauces and I have also made and tasted outstanding BBQ sauces with root beer and Dr. Pepper in them, so why not black cherry soda. Most sodas have a nice play of sweet and tart, which makes them perfect for BBQ sauce, which also usually plays upon that same juxtaposition. Add in a little heat and you have the makings for a great glaze that can compliment chicken and pork and cut through the richness of many of the fattier cuts of meat. While I really liked this glaze, I found that most of the black cherry flavor was lost through the cooking process and couldn’t stand up to the more aggressive flavors in the glaze. That’s not to say that it wasn’t there, but it just wasn’t as forward as I had hoped. Try the glaze this way first then experiment, replacing the Black Cherry soda with Coke, Dr. Pepper, root beer, or ginger beer. Also try this glaze with one of the numerous lemon-lime sodas out there and adding more lemon juice to the recipe to give the chicken a nice citrus zing. Any way you try it, I think you will be happy with the results.

One word about grills: I own both a gas grill and a charcoal grill. I usually prefer the charcoal grill, but I like the convenience of the gas grill for quick meals. For this recipe I prefer the gas grill as I am better able to control the heat. A charcoal grill will work just fine, but keep a close eye on the wings so that they don’t burn.

3 cups Black Cherry Soda
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
2 tsp. Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1/4-1/2 tsp. Ground Chipotle Pepper (more if you like it hot)
2 tsp. Cider Vinegar
1/4 Lemon, juiced.
25-30 Chicken Wings
Salt
Pepper

Combine all the ingredients, except the chicken, salt, and pepper in a non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil and reduce until you have 1 1/2c. of glaze. Cool it down. This can be made a day or two ahead if needed.

Preheat the grill or get a good base of coals going. Season the chicken wings liberally with salt and pepper and grill over medium high heat until 1/2 way done, about 7 minutes. Turn regularly so as to not burn the skin. Move the wings to a cooler section of the grill and lightly brush the glaze onto one side of the wings. Cover the grill and allow to cook for about 3 minutes. Flip the wings and repeat the process. Continue this process until the wings are cooked through. Watch the heat! With all that sugar in the glaze the wings will want to burn. By the time the wings are done you should have applied the glaze at least 3-4 times on each side. This gradual building up of the glaze will leave you with beautifully lacquered wings that look as good as they taste. Remove them to a platter and serve with plenty of napkins and wet-wipes.

I might have missed the Kentucky Derby but that’s no reason not to enjoy a Mint Julep every now and then. As an aficiando of Bourbon I usually prefer it straight with just an ice cube or two to chill it down and add just enough water to help open up the bouquet. I do make a couple of exceptions to this rule, though, for Juleps, Manhattans and Old Fashioneds, the latter two being my choice most often. Every once in awhile though I love a good Mint Julep, but it needs to be made right. I’m picky about my Juleps and since most bars, at least here in Wisconsin, can’t make a Manhattan or Old Fashioned properly, I can’t expect them to make a good Julep so if I want one I have to make it myself. The very first consideration when making a Mint Julep is Bourbon selection. My favorite Bourbons are Basil Hayden’s and Woodford Reserve, but these are Bourbons meant for drinking straight. They are too nuanced and expensive to use in a cocktail, so I usually turn to Maker’s Mark. Whatever you do stay away from Jim Beam. It might be fine in some cocktails, i.e. Jim and Coke or Whiskey Sours, but just doesn’t cut it in a drink where the Bourbon really shines through. Next is mint selection. Please use Spearmint and not Peppermint for your creation. One of these days I want to try Lemon Balm (one of my favorite “tea” herbs and a relative to mint). When I do I will update you all. A final word about ingredients, some recipes call for powdered sugar. Stay away from it. Most “powdered” sugar contains some cornstarch to keep it from clumping and this will cloud your drink. Use regular granulated sugar or superfine sugar if you can find it. Now Mint Juleps are one of those very selective things. Ask 20 experts how to make one and you’ll get 20 answers. I won’t claim this is the “proper” way to make a julep or that it is even the best way. What I will say is that this is how I like them the best, and after considerable “research” over the years I feel I have a pretty good grasp. Okay, let’s start: First don’t worry if you don’t have a tradition julep cup, it will taste just fine in any old fashioned tumbler or highball glass. Once you have your glass drop in about 4-7 mint leaves, depending on size and your tastes and add about 1/2 tablespoon of sugar. Don’t add too much sugar, this isn’t supposed to be a sweet drink! Muddle the sugar and mint just until the mint starts to break up. Next add crushed ice, not shaved ice as it melts too fast for my taste. To crush the ice I like to take about 8 ice cubes, place them in a ziplock bag and gently pound them with a hammer. You want a good mix of medium sized pieces (to keep your drink cold for a time) and pulverized shards (to melt immediately providing the right amount of dilution). Don’ beat it all to a fine snow!!!! Add this to your glass then pour in 3oz of Bourbon. Stir to mix and chill the Julep. Garnish with a fresh sprig of mint. Do not skip the garnish as the aroma of the mint garnish helps to reinforce it’s flavor in the drink. Now sit back, in a rocker, relax, and enjoy life!!

I had a craving for pickled mushrooms yesterday. I’m not sure why as I’m not particularly fond of them. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike them. In fact, I am very hard pressed to find a pickled item I don’t like, but I don’t usually find myself saying, “Boy, what I could really go for right now is a bowl of pickled mushrooms!” If I see them on a salad buffet or antipasto display I might grab a couple, and occasionally I will ask for them in a Bloody Mary, but other than that they rarely cross my mind. Needless to say, the craving hit and I found myself lacking in the pickled mushroom department. Searching through the fridge I found no less than 6 types of pickles of the cucumber variety, some homemade, some store bought. There were also pickled jalapenos, sauerkraut, homemade Dilly Beans, homemade pickled beets, numerous preserves and no less than 5 types of mustard,and even a jar of pickled garlic but nothing resembling a pickled mushroom. That only left me with 2 options both involving me getting off my butt and heading to the store. Option #1 I could run to the store and pick up a jar of pickled mushrooms. It would be the easy way out, but most of the store brands are pretty crappy. Option #2 would be to run to the store, gather up the ingredients and make my own. While the pull of Jet Li’s “Hero” was strong, I decided I could watch TV anytime so I chose option #2. The following recipe is the result of my craving. While these mushrooms tasted good by the time they had chilled. I am going to let them sit in the fridge for a couple more days before sampling them again. This should allow the flavors to develop a little more and round out. Enjoy!

2 pounds White Mushrooms, the smaller the better
1 pint Cider Vinegar (also try Malt, Sherry, or White Wine Vinegar)
1 1/2 tsp. Fennel Seeds
1 tsp – 1 Tbsp. Red Pepper Flakes (amount depends on the heat you like)
1/4 cup Sugar
2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 each Red Bell Pepper
4 sprigs Fresh Tarragon

Roast, peel, seed, and julienne the red pepper. Brush any dirt off the mushrooms, trim off the stems (for personal use I add the stems back in) and cut any large mushrooms in half (anything over 1 1/2 inches). In a large, non-reactive pan combine the vinegar, fennel, pepper flakes, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and add the mushrooms. Cover, reduce heat to a hard simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the roasted pepper strips and the fresh tarragon. Allow to cool slightly then place in a large glass jar and refrigerate. Allow at least 8 hours for the flavors to develop. Better yet leave the mushrooms for 3-5 days before sampling.

1/2 pound of Morel Mushrooms, quartered and rinsed thoroughly to remove sand and dirt