Super Pizza From Rachel Ray

January 29, 2009 | Posted by Lorena as Celebrity Chefs, Recipe, Snack Recipes at 10:21 pm | Comments »

Rachael Ray goes shopping for fruit and veg at the Farmers Market in New York City

You either love her or hate her but hey, she does present some great ideas for eats. Her “super pizzas” actually caught my attention and I think that I just might make one of them this weekend. I found some recipes at The Daily Journal – all of her super pizzas – and this is the one that I think has the most potential: the Chicken Pot Pizza.

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 cups frozen peas and carrots
• 1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
• Salt and pepper
• Biscuit pizza dough (see below)
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded
• 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, melt 1 tablespoon butter in the microwave; stir in the peas and carrots and the mushrooms; season with salt and pepper. Press the biscuit dough evenly into a greased 9- to 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Spoon the vegetables on top, reserving the bowl, then bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes. Transfer to the reserved bowl along with the chicken and half of the cheese.

Wipe out the skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and melt over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the milk and bring to a simmer, stirring continuously; stir in the remaining cheese and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Preheat the broiler. Spoon the chicken mixture over the baked pizza and broil until golden bubbly, about 5 minutes. Drizzle with the cheese sauce and sprinkle with the parsley.

This recipe serves 4 and takes 25 minutes of prep time and 25 minutes of baking time. A fun meal in less than an hour – not bad.

Nigella’s Intense Chocolate Cookies

December 23, 2008 | Posted by Lorena as Celebrity Chefs, Chocolate, Cookie Recipes at 11:27 am | (1) Comment »

I am a big chocolate lover and for Christmas dinner, I think I shall try my hand at Nigella’s version of chocolate cookies. I have not tried to make them myself but a friend, who is an avid baker, told me that these cookies are to die for! Here is the recipe according to Nigella.

Ingredients
125g/4oz dark chocolate
150g/5¼oz plain flour
30g/1oz cocoa, sifted
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
125g/4oz unsalted butter, softened
75g/2½oz light brown sugar
50g/2oz caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 free-range egg, cold from the fridge
350g/12¼oz dark chocolate chips

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.
2. Break the 125g/4oz dark chocolate into pieces and place into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until melted.
3. Place the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl and mix well.
4. In another bowl, cream the butter and two sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the melted chocolate and stir well.
5. Beat in the vanilla extract and crack in the egg, then mix in the dry ingredients. Finally stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Scoop out 12 equal portions of the mixture – an ice cream scoop and a palette knife are the best tools for the job – and place onto a lined baking sheet about 6cm/2½in apart. Do not flatten them.
7. Transfer to the oven and bake for 18 minutes, then test with a skewer – it should come out semi-clean and not wet with batter. If you pierce a chocolate chip, try again.
8. Leave the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 4-5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to harden as they cool.

Maybe a tad more chocolate?

Recipes and news from celebrity chefs

March 20, 2008 | Posted by Lorena as Celebrity Chefs, Celebrity Cooks, Recipe at 9:52 am | (2) Comments »

Learn from the best TV celebrity chefs. This celebrity chef blog has recipes (from the highly intricate steak tartare of Anthony Bourdain to the simple home cooking of Mario Batali); tips; quotes and interviews; even scandals.

Wolfgang Puck’s Special Yukon Potatoes

February 20, 2008 | Posted by Lorena as Celebrity Chefs, Quick Meal Ideas at 5:40 pm | Comments »

Wolfgang Puck demonstrates the secret to perfect Yukon Gold Potatoes. The secret ingredient is a sprinkling of Iranian osetra caviar and his special recipe for Crème Fraîche. Just mix buttermilk and heavy cream, and leave overnight at room temperature. Oh so simple, but knowing Wolfgang Puck, oh so delicious.

Attention Mario Batali Fans!

September 12, 2007 | Posted by Allison as Celebrity Chefs, Tid Bits & News at 8:06 am | (2) Comments »

If you call yourself a Mario Batali fan & may have been suffering from the ill effects of withdrawal, fear not.

Batali has teamed up with Serious Eats & will be writing a regular column with the online giant. Make sure to check out his most current entry, as he dishes on Pasta Pomodoro!

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