Adam and Eve Takeout - BBQ Pizza of Fig, Gorgonzola and Prosciutto

Certain things in life just go together. Adam and Eve. Heather Locklear and David Spade. Barbecues and Pizza…Sometimes the most curious combinations bring about the most delicious results. Chile and chocolate seem made for each other, as I have written about previously here. Combining clams and chorizo, a magical culinary wonderment of Portugal, is something my eyes were opened to on a previous trip to London, as another example.

Okay, from a biblical perspective it’s pretty clear that Heather and Dave getting together was a bad idea…But I am telling you right now that the pizza and the barbecue were meant to be united. And the home cook is the one that gets lucky in this unusual but effective culinary technique hookup.

Assuming we can all agree on the "genesis" of a good pizza – a thin crispy crust, the right balance and quantity of ingredients and a less than obnoxious amount of cheese, a homemade barbecue pizza delivers guaranteed results for the home cook. Any good pizza boils down to how good the crust is. You can have the best toppings in the world, but if the crust isn’t making your heart go wild with desire, that pizza is not going to make it past first base. Don’t think that dressing it up all pretty with a revealing anchovy or sensual wild mushroom is going to help. It may be “perfectly groomed” but everyone will still be able to tell what it really is - one unattractive pizza.

And unless you want to build a wood fired brick oven or buy an expensive high heat pizza maker, you options are pretty limited. Pizza stones, although an attempt in the right direction, provide mediocre results at best. Sort of like an opening pick-up line. Good attempt, poor execution. The premise is right, heat the stone in a hot oven that provides an appropriately hot surface to crisp up the crust in 10-12 minutes without overcooking the entire pizza. However, the results with this approach leave me less than, well, let’s just say “in love”. And that process takes too long, heating the stone and all. The investment in that courtship never winds up how you want it to anyways.

Americans lust for anything related to the barbecue. And not being one to miss out on a good time I have been using the pizza grilling technique since 1994. I was fortunate enough to eye a television demonstration of the concept done by the owners of Al Forno, a restaurant in Rhode Island widely credited with innovating this concept in the United States.

At its core, the pizza is simply a delivery vehicle for good ingredients. And the barbecue approach lends itself to any combination your heart (and stomach) desires. I am a huge lover of tapas and was fooling around with the idea of how I could serve one my favorites created by superstar chef Mario Batali that involved grilled figs with Serrano ham and blue cheese. My challenge involved a tapas appetizer for a dinner party but no easy way of serving such a messy dish while guests were standing up and mingling, iced Pinot Gris in hand. Being the height of fig season, and the fact that it was hot outside, I wanted to provide my guests with a way to enjoy the tapas but not have to use a knife or fork. Or worry about swallowing a large bite as the stuffed and wrapped figs can get pretty large and unwieldy. I also didn’t want to heat up the house by turning on the oven. My solution was to deconstruct it and transform it into a grilled pizza on the barbecue.

Grilling pizza is very easy to do and success is predicated on preparation before you start cooking. All the ingredients need to be ready to go, literally “mise en place”. Whatever ingredients you are using, make sure they are ready, plated and easily movable to your outdoor BBQ from the kitchen when you are ready to start cooking. Once the dough hits the hot grill, you need to work fast to cover up that naked pizza and you don’t want to be running back to the kitchen in shame prepping anything or your timing will be all off.

From a BBQ perspective, while any heating source will work - gas, charcoal, wood - I consistently get the best results with a gas grill. You can control the temperature throughout the relatively short cooking process which is important. BBQ pizza takes 6-7 minutes to cook completely. I have burned the crust using charcoal for heat. Just ask David (my cousin, not Spade).

Also, a word about making pizza dough versus going the store bought route. Occasionally I make my own dough but I find a negligible difference in quality of the end product versus buying store bought dough for the BBQ method. I use dough made from Trader Joe's, however if your store doesn’t carry it, most independent pizzerias that make their own will sell you pizza dough. Just don’t use a national chain for the dough as it defeats the purpose of highlighting great ingredients for what should be a good time.

Now, take a bite out and tell me how “deadly delicious” and good looking this pizza is. I wonder if Heather and David would have lasted longer had they only tried this instead of eating the forbidden fruit of the old apple tree…

Recipe for BBQ Grilled Pizza with Figs, Prosciutto and Blue Cheese
Makes 1 Pizza and serves 2-3 as a main course

or 4-6 as an appetizer

Ingredients
16 oz fresh pizza dough
Flour for rolling
Olive oil for dough and grill
½ cup fig jam (recipe below) or store bought
4 ripe figs (I prefer Mission but any fresh ripe fig will work)
3-4 oz of Gorgonzola or other blue cheese
3 slices of prosciutto cut into 3” strips
1 TBSP chopped flat leaf Italian parsley

Method
Bring pizza dough out of the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes. In the meantime, make sure your grill grate is clean and scraped. Heat the BBQ on high for 10 minutes with the top down. Flour a large cutting board or a counter where you can roll out the dough. Flour the top of the dough and roll out the pizza into a roughly 6” by 10” shape with a ¼ inch thickness. Keep in mind when grilling pizza the dough does not need to be round or perfect, it can be any shape when you put it on the grill. Brush olive oil onto the surface of the dough so it is lightly covered.

Open the grill cover and lower the grill heat to a medium high flame. Pickup the dough up and carefully lay it on the hot grate. As you are laying the dough on the grate it will stretch. That’s fine, just make sure it is relatively flat on the grill, again the shape doesn’t matter, oblong, heart shaped, map of Kazakhstan - all are fine. Close the grill cover and let this cook over a medium high flame. After 2 minutes, open the grill and with the tongs check the bottom of the dough. It should be golden with grill marks. You can cook it for one additional minute if the dough is not golden. If there are bubbles on top of the dough you can use the tongs to pierce them. Turn the dough over and bring the heat down to medium low to low.

Spread the fig jam and then crumble the blue cheese over the pizza. Lay out the figs and close the cover, cooking for 4 minutes. Open the grill and check for doneness. If you need another minute, leave the grill on or if it looks done, turn the grill off. Scatter the prosciutto strips over the pizza and then sprinkle the chopped parsley on top. Using your tongs slide the pizza onto a cutting board. Slice and serve.

Recipe for Fig Jam
I use store bought fig jam often, however if you are up for making your own, please try this delicious and easy to make recipe from fellow food blogger Alexa at http://www.artsy-foodie.blogspot.com/.

Ingredients
Makes 1/2 cup
5 ripe figs, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup of water

2 tablespoon of agave nectar (or honey)

1/2 tsp of cinnamon

1/2 tsp of chopped crystallised ginger (optional)

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

1/2 tsp of fresh lemon juice

Method

Combine all the ingredients in a small pot over medium-low heat and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, mixing every few minutes, until thickened to a jam consistency. Cool on a plate and refrigerate until ready to serve. It will keep for 3 days in the fridge.

My Dream...Espresso Granita Con Panna

I was dreaming the other day about Rome.

Not about the unfairly attractive Italians dressed so stylishly while seemingly at ease. Nor about the monumentally towering architectural wonders that make the Italian capital one of the most stunning in Europe. And not even about what Italy is so well known for - its remarkable pasta. Or is it Art? No matter. None of that occurred to me during this wonderment of food related rapid eye movement that holds true meaning. I was dreaming of espresso.

So many cultures seemingly own a specific food or drink that is directly associated to their identity. For the French, one could argue it is wine. Argentinians can raise their hand for beef. Think of the Japanese and you think of sushi. For Americans it might be barbecue. But for coffee, there is no argument. Not French. Not Columbian or Costa Rican. Not even an exotic Middle Eastern or African land. There is only one place where perfect coffee is made and that honor belongs to Italy.

I love coffee in any form it wishes to give itself to me. Hot. Iced. Served with steamed milk. Providing a layer of richness in chocolate desserts. A surprisingly triumphant coating for rack of lamb. There are so many ways to enjoy one of the world's great culinary gifts. But this hot summer day brought me back to a steamy afternoon in Rome. Meandering the capital. Hordes of people lovingly gawking at the Fontana di Trevi. Touristic passion in its most visible form. A frenetic metropolitan chaos that works in spite of itself. We toured the Pantheon in the heart of the city. One of the greatest mausoleums in Italy where Italian kings and royalty are buried. Very much worth visiting, this structure was studied intensely by Michelangelo. His inspiration for the cupola at St. Peters comes right from here. God's house to many.

As we walked outside, we saw little clear plastic cups of brown and white. Mouths smiling. Tongues dancing. Small plastic spoons serving their masters. A welcome respite from a humid afternoon. And off the Via degli Orfani there stands a temple to Italian Coffee - the Tazza d'Oro coffee shop. There is no point in comparing it to Starbucks as that would be like comparing the Pope to the unwashed masses - Being a believer doesn't make you holy. Tazza d'Oro is like coffee that has been brewed by God. An ascendent aroma. No, a miracle.

But this shop is not really known for that. It is known for its granita.

I love granita because it is so quintessenitally Italian which usually means complicated. Yet it is decievingly easy to make. Basic ingredients of water and sugar form the crystalline backbone that allow a central flavoring to be displayed in its true glory. The ice crystals in granita are so beautiful, as if formed by nature. A higher power.

Espresso Granita with freshly whipped cream. Intense. Full of inspiration and simplicity. I taste angels singing. This is a calling. It is better than any dream...

Recipe for Espresso Granita with Whipped Cream (Espresso Granita Con Panna)
Serves 4-6

2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup espresso (finely ground)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
6 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice

For the Panna
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar

Method
You can make the espresso either by machine, using enough water and coffee grounds to make 2 1/2 cups, or a french press (which is how I do it sans espresso maker and process works very well) brewing it for three minutes, or simply combine the coffee and the water in saucepan and bring to a boil. Using this method take the saucepan off the heat as soon as the liquid boils.

Add the lemon zest and let it infuse with the coffee mixture for 3-5 minutes. Strain the mixture into a bowl through a coffee filter. If you are using a french press add the zest to the pot, infuse as directed, and then strain through the press. Pour the infused coffee into a bowl and add the sugar so it will disolve while the coffee is cooling. Add the lemon juice and stir well.

Pour the liquid mixture into a 9x9 pan. It should be about 1/2 inch depth. Freeze for thirty minutes on a flat surface. After 30 minutes take out the pan and with a dinner fork scrape the semi frozen liquid from the perimeter of the pan to the middle of it. Smooth out the mixture so it is flat. At this first stage it will only be semi frozen and quite liquidy. Place the pan back in the freezer and repeat this same process every 30 minutes, or a total of four times for a period of two hours). Each time you scrape the mixture you will help the granita crystals form.

In a non reactive bowl, mix the whipping cream and sugar together until stiff peaks form.

To Serve
When you are ready to serve the Granita take it out of the freezer and let it warm up for 5 minutes. Scrape each serving from the pan with a spoon. The texture will look like hard snow.

In a glass or serving dish spoon about 1/4 cup of whipped cream. Add a 1/3 cup of granita. Add another 1/4 cup of whipped cream and then a 1/3 cup of granita. Finish with a small dollop of whipped cream on top and serve.

This recipe is modified from Nadia Rosen who wrote a wonderful book titled "Granita Magic". I have used her book often to learn how to make granitas and it is excellent.

Don't You Look Hot...White Peach & Rainier Cherry Sangria

It's been a hot summer so far. Like Plains of La Mancha Hot. And I need something cool. Easy. Relaxed. Juicy. Fortunately my love affair with all things Spanish can get us through this hot flash. Saffron. Tapas. Paella. Penelope Cruz. Wine. These wonderful (and mostly) culinary elements support a lifestyle in Spain I categorize as "graceful living".

Spaniards are beautiful people (note from wife - Javier Bardem) with a special culture and way of life I hope becomes better understood and appreciated in the United States. And when it gets hot the Spanish know how to maintain their cool. A walk through the patio of the soaring Cathedral at Sevilla. The shade and smell of orange trees intertwined in a warm breeze. Nibbling on inventively light tapas at San Sebastian's seaside. Overlooking the Mediterranean from Barcelona's glorious Parc Guell.

Such Spanish coolness comes alive in an icy glass of Sangria. A pleasant way of drinking and living in these hot summer months.

There are many translations of Sangria that speak of how to make it. The basic principle is to marinate different fruits, typically citrus, in wine for several hours and then mix it with sugar and sparkling water. Sangria is very food friendly and pairs well with BBQ, spicy foods and uncomplicated preparations. It also stands by itself and can be fully enjoyed without the need for any supporting actors...although we can still pour Señorita Cruz and Señor Bardem a glass.

While many will argue that red wine is used for traditional sangria, in this day and age those traditions don't mean much. I love the platform sangria offers for innovation and often use excellent regional Spanish white wines, including Galician Albarino and Verdejo from Rueda, to make new types of sangrias. Spain has become ground zero for a global food revolution of innovation led by Ferrán Adriá, Juan Mari Arzak, and even the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. Their inspiration and passion against the backdrop of Spain has influenced and inspired me to develop this updated, yet simple recipe.

Spain. Glorious. Seductive. Innovative. Hot. I hope you have a chance to cool off and ponder this good life while you sip some summertime in a glass...

Recipe for White Peach and

Rainier Cherry Sangria

Makes 8-10 Servings

1 bottle of Spanish White Wine such as Albarino or Verdejo
2 ripe white peaches, cut in 1/2 inch chunks with skin on
15 Rainier Cherries, pitted and halved
2 TBSP Cointreau
2 TBSP sugar (superfine preferred but you can use regular granulated sugar as well)
1 bottle of sparkling water or club soda

Method

In a large pitcher combine the wine, peaches, cherries, Cointreau and sugar. Mix well and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours. Fill a glass with ice cubes and pour in the sangria and a few pieces of each of the macerated fruits. The glass should be 2/3 full. Top off with club soda and mix gently.

Note that virtually any fruit can be used in Sangria. If you can't find white peaches, yellow ones also work well. The Rainier Cherry has a short season (May to July) but regular Bing cherries can be substituted or you can use raspberries or strawberries. No matter what fruit you select, make sure it is ripe as this drink is only as good as the sweetness the fruit imparts. Also, if you can't find a Spanish white wine, a crisp California Sauvignon Blanc works well in this recipe.

Can't we move on?...Chipotle Chocolate Creme Brulee

It's official. This week I am naming the chipotle as the single most overused foodstuff of the decade. No small feat in knocking creme brulee off of its 1990's "rode hard and put away wet" mantle. There is an obsession in this country with discovering a new ingredient and overusing it. We are in full gear with the decidedly curious chipotle and there is no let up in sight.

Not that long ago too many restaurants offered Creme Brulee on the dessert menu. It was as if those chefs not serving it were lacking somehow. Or felt some misguided need to do whatever "the herd" was doing. I appreciated the effort to opening up our country's eyes to something new and different, but after awhile, it got to be a little much. Not that I didn't love creme brulee, I did (and still do). There are so many qualities that make it appealing to eat. Its smooth texture has decidedly luxurious aspect to it. Sort of an adult vanilla pudding sans Bill Cosby with a pleasant mouth feel (he was Jell-O's spokesman for you younger readers). So, a waiter might say something like "and tonight we are featuring Creme Brulee - two spoons to share?" And we would order it like lemmings over the cliff. It became time to break off this relationship, like the "ex" we would go back to time and again but for no good reason other than convenience.

Well, we did. The mysterious Mr. Chipotle showed up and distracted us from of our unhealthy relationship with Ms. Brulee. It was easy. Love at first sight really. Complex. Mysterious. Spicy. Romantic. It felt like "Gone with the Wind" on a tortilla with a squeeze of lime. Chipotles are everywhere now.

I was first introduced to dried and smoked chiles on a business trip to the charming colonial Mexican city of Guadalajara in 1995. A chance lunch of Pork Adobado in a restaurant on the way to a meeting introduced me to the use of smoked chiles in cuisines from both Mexico and the Philippines. Adobado typically refers to some type of smoked or dried chile (ancho, poblano, etc...) that is preserved in vinegar. It is then cooked with a meat for a slightly spicy, typically rustic dish. For whatever reason, what I ordered came with chipotles, which are traditionally made from dried Jalapeno peppers. The smokiness of this altered pepper is deep and revealing. A real flavor booster that delivers a complex taste and transforms everyday preparations of beef, pork, chicken and even fish.

Having traveled throughout Latin American I have come to love the varied cuisines of these unique regions. And as a resident of San Diego, CA I eat Mexican food regularly. Don't get me wrong, I like chipotles. A few days ago I bought a couple of cans of chipotles at a local market for absolutely no reason. I started to think about how we are now living in such an evolving food culture and how this evolution of chipotles showing up everywhere was unthinkable not that long ago. Back in 1999 you couldn't buy a chipotle except in a Latin American food market. Today googling the term "chipotle" returns 4.5 million results. Creme brulee doesn't get even half of that kind of attention from a search engine.

We definitely have moved on from our sultry ex, Ms. Brulee. However, this love of the Chipotle is pointing toward a relationship attachment problem in our society. Too much of a good thing? While I wish it were the case, I think our problem is worse than that and we might need to bring in Dr. Phil. We can't stand to be alone, can we? It's time to get real.

Chipotle burgers. Chipotle Pancakes. Chipotle Mayonnaise. "The Herd" is definitely back. I hit my limit this week when I visited the Food Network site by chance and the #1 recipe was for the talented chef Bobby Flay's "Grilled Chicken Wings with Spicy Chipotle Sauce". That did it. Creme Brulee. Chipotles. Isn't it enough already...or is it?

And then I did the unthinkable. I got these two old flames together. You know what I mean. When you start to tire of a love interest, you think of a previous one, remembering only the good parts. In this instance, bringing together creme brulee and chipotles may be the only case where this is a good idea. I have asked our dear friend Chocolate to tag along. Try this recipe, and tell me what you think. Enjoy this sultry, smoky, smooth and sexy dessert with an enormous glass of Zinfandel, Malbec, or a Cabernet Franc from the up and coming wine regions of Mexico. It'll be just like old times...with a new twist.

Recipe for Chocolate Chipotle Creme Brulee
Serves 8*

Ingredients

2 Chipotle chiles split in half with excess adobo sauce removed

2 cups whipping cream + 1 cup for topping (see note below)

2 cups half and half

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70%, such as Valrona), coarsely chopped

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely coarsely chopped

8 large egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 300°F. Combine cream and half and half in heavy large saucepan with the split chipotles and seeds. Bring to a boil mixing occasionally and pressing chipotles to the side of the pan to extra the flavor. Reduce heat to low.

Strain the mixture, pressing the chipotle solids to extra additional flavor. Pour the hot mixture from the saucepan through a strainer over the chipotle, into medium bowl and then back into the saucepan 2-3 times. Strain one final time back into the saucepan and discard solids.

Boil water in a tea kettle while you complete the next step.

Add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk yolks and 1/3 cup sugar in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in hot chocolate mixture to yolks starting with a small amount of hot liquid and whisk quickly. Strain the liquid and egg mixture a final time.

Pour equal amounts of custard among eight 3/4-cup custard cups. Place cups in large baking pan. Add enough hot water to pan to come halfway up sides of cups. Bake until custards are set, about 50 minutes. Remove from water; chill 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

(Note: a traditional creme brulee calls for a burnt sugar crust to complete the dessert by adding 1 TBSP of sugar over the top of the brulee and either placing it under your oven broiler for 1 to 2 minutes or using a hand torch to caramelize the sugar. While that makes perfect sense for a traditional brulee, I don't believe it works as well here. Rather, I like a dollop of freshly whipped cream with a small amount of sugar or vanilla to lightly sweeten it. You will want something clean to cut the intense flavor and richness of the chocolate and chile and this does it.

* Recipe can be cut in half for four servings.