Michael Romano's Famous Mustard Dip

It is always a treat to stop by the Romano's house, especially when there's cooking involved!  Whether it's his delicious biscotti or signature tomato sauce, Michael Romano's dishes are the ones you want to recreate at home.  So when Mike and I were invited over to make lasagna and meatballs, we jumped at the chance.  I fully intended to take tons of pictures and copious notes for future use, but the problem is, I got totally distracted.  You see, there always seems to be a dish of pretzels and the famous mustard dip out for nibbling when we stop by.  This isn't just any mustard dip either- it is highly addictive!  Over the years, I'm pretty sure I've eaten my weight in pretzels and Romano mustard dip.  It's a little sweet from the honey and brown sugar, but not overly so.  The tabasco sauce and crushed red pepper flakes give it a little kick to balance out that sweetness.

It is so so good and coincidentally, so so easy to make.  Believe it or not, the recipe I've included is one fourth of the original- the Romano's make it in bulk and share! I contemplated cutting the recipe down even further, but it is so convenient to use 1 jar of mayo, 1 jar of mustard, and 1 bottle of honey rather than a little bit of each.  What could you do with all of that leftover mayo anyway?  Even at one fourth of the original, the recipe still makes quite a lot, so I always have a few clean and empty jars on hand for bottling it.  It keeps so well in the fridge and is perfect for sharing!

The Famous Mustard Dip

Ingredients:

32 ounce jar regular mayonnaise
16 ounce bottle yellow mustard
16 ounce bottle honey
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 ounces dried onion flakes
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt, to taste

Directions:
1.  Combine first six ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
2.  Fold in onion flakes, poppy seeds and red pepper flakes.
3.  Stir until ingredients are fully combined and season to taste with a little salt.
4.  Portion into jars with tight-fitting lids and refrigerate.
*This dip is best made ahead of time so the flavors can really develop.

Grill Pan Pizza: Artichoke A La Mode

(Image courtesy of onmilwaukee.com)

Did you ever go to Pizza Man?  I hope you had the chance, especially as it sadly burned down in January.  Pizza Man was this super popular restaurant on the east side of Milwaukee with one of the most extensive wine lists I've seen.  The pizza was by far my favorite- hands-down.  It had this thin crisp crust, amazing sauce, and some of the most interesting topping combinations you could imagine.  When we were in college, my now-husband and I had a few dates there (as well as a few too many selections from that large wine list, but that's another story entirely).

Our favorite thing to order there was the "Artichoke A La Mode" pizza.  It was topped with artichokes, cream cheese, and sliced tomatoes.  The combination only seems crazy if you've never tried it- that pizza was one of the restaurant's most popular.  I've had such a hankering for it lately and figured I could try to recreate it at home.  To get the crisp crust, I used my All-Clad grill pan, first on the stove and then in the oven to finish the pizza.  The method is really simple and you can use it for just about any combination of toppings, as long as you don't load the pizza up too much.  Less can be more, especially with this unbelievable combination of artichokes and cream cheese.  Yum!

Artichoke A La Mode Pizza

*Makes 1 12-inch pizza

Ingredients:

1/2 recipe of my pizza dough (recipe follows- make the whole batch and save 1/2 for another pizza)

Olive oil

2/3 cup (or so) pizza sauce

1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts

2 ounces cream cheese, cut into small cubes

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese ( I used 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup romano, and 1/4 cup parmesan)

Fresh sliced tomatoes

Directions:

1.  Place 12-inch grill pan (or cast-iron skillet) in oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Once pizza dough has doubled, punch down and allow to rest while preparing other ingredients.

3.  Have artichokes chopped, cream cheese cubed, cheese grated, and tomatoes sliced before you start working with the dough!

4.  After assembling all of the ingredients, lightly flour your work surface and roll out dough into a 12-inch circle.

5.  Use an oven mitt to remove grill pan from preheated oven and set on stove top.  (The pan's handle will be very hot!)

6.  Drizzle a little olive oil over the surface of the pan and set the heat to medium high.

7.  Quickly and carefully transfer the dough to the hot pan and cook for 3-4 minutes.

8.  Use a pair of kitchen tongs to flip the crust over.  While pan is still on the heat, quickly top the pizza with prepared ingredients- sauce, then artichokes and cream cheese, grated cheese, and a topping of fresh tomatoes.

9.  Use an oven mitt to transfer grill pan to oven and bake until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned, about 10-15 minutes.

10.  Once pizza is ready, slide out of grill pan onto a large plate, cut, and serve.

My Favorite Pizza Dough

*Makes 2 12-inch pizzas

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for coating

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Place the warm water and sugar in a large mixing bowl.

2. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then sprinkle the yeast onto the surface of the water.

3. Stir the yeast into the water, making sure the yeast is fully dissolved. Set the bowl aside and allow the yeast to proof for a few minutes while measuring and preparing other ingredients.

4. In another mixing bowl, stir together the flour and salt.

5. Check the yeast- it should have bubbled a bit and look foamy. If not, your yeast may be outdated.

6. Into the yeast mixture, add the flour mixture and the olive oil.

7. Stir the ingredients together until they start to form a ball.

8. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.

9. Lightly coat the inside of a large mixing bowl with olive oil.

10. Press the ball of dough into the bottom of the bowl, then flip the dough over so the oiled side is on top.

11. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

12. When ready to use the dough, punch dough down and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes before rolling out, topping, and baking.

Strawberry Rhubarb Turnovers

I love this time of year!  The weather is getting warmer, flowers are blooming, and we are getting the first of our seasonal and local produce.  I've been enjoying the asparagus, of course, as well as fresh greens.  At this time of year, though, I really love baking with strawberries and rhubarb most of all.  Whether in a sauce, a simple crisp, or these turnovers, strawberries and rhubarb are a combination that can't be beat.  Plus, rhubarb won't be available for too long, so take advantage of it while you can, right?

The balsamic vinegar may seem like a funny addition to the recipe, but it definitely makes a difference.  It really brings out the flavor of the strawberries without tasting vinegar-y, and I've long used it to punch up a variation of my panna cotta.  However, it didn't occur to me to use it in a recipe like this until Mike's grandmother passed the tip on to me.  I loved the simple difference that it made.  The fruit tasted just a little bit more sweet and flavorful, which complemented that flaky pastry so nicely.  It is such a tasty and  simple spring treat!

Strawberry Rhubarb Turnovers

Ingredients:
2 cups diced strawberries
1 3/4 cups diced rhubarb
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch

Flour, for dusting work surface

1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg, beaten
Demerara sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.  Combine strawberries and rhubarb in a large, nonreactive mixing bowl.
3.  Add the balsamic vinegar and stir to combine.
4.  In another small bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch.
5.  Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture to the fruit and incorporate fully.
6.  Set fruit mixture aside and lightly flour work surface.
7.  On the floured surface, unfold a sheet of puff pastry and roll out into a square of about 12x12 inches.
8.  Cut pastry into fourths and brush edges of each square with egg.

9.  Use a slotted spoon to spoon fruit mixture neatly onto half of each pastry square.  The slotted spoon will prevent excess liquid in your pastry.
10. Fold the pastry diagonally over the fruit and seal edges with a fork.
11.  Cut three small slits along the top of each pastry, brush with more egg wash, and sprinkle with demerara sugar.
12.  Repeat process with the other sheet of pastry and remaining fruit.
13.  Arrange turnovers on two baking sheets lined with parchment or silpats.
14.  Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and puffy.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Blackberry Coulis

I haven't been the most diligent about posting recipes here on Kitchen Notes lately, I know that.  There's been lots of baking going on in my kitchen, I promise, I just haven't been taking the time to post as often as I should.  I'm awfully sorry for being such a slacker, but the problem is that I'm totally distracted.  You see, several files of my Nonny's old recipes have come into my possession and I have been poring over them for weeks!  Every time I think I've looked over them all, I come across a new and interesting one that I haven't seen before.  It has been great fun going through all of them!

Although my grandmother would never have considered herself a great cook, she really knew her way around the kitchen and loved to collect recipes.  Her files were full of newspaper clippings, carefully written recipes from family and friends, and notes in Nonny's handwriting explaining when she enjoyed that particular dish- "served at Lenoir's birthday party" or "Marjorie made this for our ladies' tea."  I was especially touched to see so many of my Mom's recipes included in there!  Poking through these recipes has definitely been a nostalgic experience.

Now this recipe for cream cheese pound cake looked pretty unassuming- a yellowed newspaper clipping with an Ovaltine ad on the back- and I don't remember my Nonny ever making it.  However, I couldn't put it back into the file without trying it out first.  I am a firm believer in the fact that cream cheese makes everything better, and I loved the simplicity of the ingredients.  The cake turned out unbelievably good- light, flavorful, and especially tasty when served with my simple blackberry sauce and vanilla whipped cream.  The only thing I'd change in the future is to have some extra blackberries and maybe a few mint leaves to garnish each dessert.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla (I used vanilla bean paste)
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1 /2 teaspoons baking powder
Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and cream cheese until light.  Add the sugar gradually, beating constantly, then add the vanilla.
2.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.
3.  Combine flour and baking powder.  Add to the creamed mixture, beating well.
4.  Pour into greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.
5.  Bake in preheated oven about 75 minutes, or until wooden pick in center comes out clean.
6.  Cool in pan 10 minutes.  Turn onto rack to cool completely.
7.  Slice into triangles and serve with blackberry coulis and vanilla bean whipped cream

Blackberry Coulis

Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup granulated sugar
24 ounces fresh blackberries
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Directions:
1.  In a medium saucepan, combine water and sugar.  Add blackberries and bring mixture to a boil.
2.  Cook, stirring constantly, until blackberries break down slightly and mixture is thickened.
3.  Puree using a blender or food processor and strain into a clean bowl using a fine mesh strainer.
4.  Stir in lemon juice and cool before serving with the cream cheese pound cake.
5.  When ready to serve, pool a little coulis on the dessert plate and arrange pound cake triangles on top of it.  You may not need all of it!

Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

*Make just prior to serving!

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon powdered sugar

1 cup whipping cream, very cold

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

Directions:

1.  Store metal mixing bowl and wire whisk in freezer until ready to make whipped cream.  Remove from freezer and add sugar to the mixing bowl.

2.  Pour the cold cream over the sugar and whisk until mixture reaches soft peaks (the consistency of a milkshake).

3.  Add the vanilla bean paste and continue whisking just until mixture reaches stiff peaks.

4.  Serve a spoonful of whipped cream with the pound cake and blackberry sauce.