Pizza Rustica
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package rapid rise yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (120 - 130 degrees
2 teaspoons butter, softened
1/2 pound mozzarella, cubed (about 2 c)
7 ounces roasted red peppers, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Remove sausage from casings and crumble into a large skillet.
Saute until brown, adding onions and garlic. Drain off fat and
set aside to cool. Combine 1/2 cup all purpose flour, whole wheat
flour, corn meal, sugar, salt and yeast. Stir in hot water and
butter and mix well. Stir in remaining 1 cup of flour to form a
soft dough. Cover dough in bowl and let rest for 10 minutes.
Grease a 9 inch spring form pan. Stir down dough. With buttered
fingers, press 2/3 of dough in bottom of pan. Add cheese and
peppers to sausage mixture and spoon into center of dough. Spread
and press filling toward edge of pan, leaving a 1/2 inch rim of
dough around sides. Drop remaining dough by tablespoons over
filling. With the back of spoon or buttered fingers, carefully
spread dough to cover and enclose filling. The top will be rough.
Cover with a cloth and let rise until doubled in size, about 20 -
30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush top of loaf with
beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake loaf at 400
degrees for 25 - 30 minutes, or until loaf pulls away from sides
of pan and is golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Can
be served warm or room temperature. Yield: 6 servings.
Country Cobb Salad
Serves: 4 to 6
1 head iceberg lettuce, cut into
bite-size pieces
2 packages (10 ounces each) cooked
boneless, skinless chicken
breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 cup real bacon bits
1 large tomato, coarsely chopped
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and
chopped
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 package (4 ounces) crumbled blue
cheese
Salad dressing (any variety)
Arrange lettuce on a large serving
platter. Place cooked chicken in the
center of the lettuce. Place bacon bits
in a row on one side of chicken. Place
tomato in a row beside bacon bits and
avocado in a row beside them.
Place eggs, green onions, and blue
cheese in rows on the other side of the
chicken. Serve immediately with salad
dressing.
White Chocolate-Mint Tart with Strawberries
Makes One 9-Inch Tart; 6 to 8 Servings
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
4 ounces white chocolate
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon pure mint extract
1 pint fresh strawberries
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in the butter warmer
or saucepan. Combine the sugar and graham cracker crumbs in the
medium-size bowl and stir in the melted butter. Press the graham cracker
mixture evenly across the bottom and all the way up the sides of the tart
pan, packing it tightly with your fingertips so it is even and compacted.
Bake until crisp and golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside to let cool.
2. Finely chop the chocolate and place in a large bowl. Heat the heavy
cream in the saucepan until almost boiling. Whisk the hot cream into the
chocolate until smooth. Whisk in the mint extract. Refrigerate until
completely cooled.
3. Whip the chocolate mixture with the electric mixer until it holds soft
peaks. Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 3 hours. Spoon into the
cooled tart shell and smooth with the spatula.
4. To serve, slice the tops off the strawberries and slice thin. Place
wedges of the tart on 6 individual dessert dishes and spoon some
strawberries alongside each wedge.