Recipe Review from 1/12/09

Between the Husband's school schedule (Monday evening classes) and my evening yoga classes (Monday's and Thursday's) I'm not getting a lot of new recipes in. I've been focusing on recipes that will provide us with a couple day's worth of leftovers - which is nice because I'm not in the kitchen so long after work, but it means less new recipes are being made.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust (Culinary in the Country c/o Eating Well) 5.0
Joe has been making pizza every Friday night now for a while and he always uses this dough. I wanted to make the pizza below with Joe’s crust, so I had the Husband start the process before I got home from work so everything would have a chance to rise.

I am a convert! There is no reason why not to make this crust (well, time issues might be a big one...). This rose nicely if not a bit slow in our cool house and baked up absolutely beautifully! A lovely golden brown crust that was a cross between a soft thin crust and a thicker crust. I am already thinking of making this Neopolitan Pizza in the coming weeks.


Double Mushroom Pizza (Ckng Lght, Jan/Feb 09, pg 119) 4.0
Take two types of mushrooms - in this case Crimini and portobella - slice and coarsely chop respectively. Sear on the stove to remove the water and set aside. Saute the garlic, and add milk mixed with flour and cook till nice and thick. This is the sauce. Spread sauce over crust, top with mushrooms and thinly sliced tomatoes, add cheese, and bake.

This was good, but we both felt it needed a bit extra in the seasoning department - we were both adding a splash of seasoned salt to make the flavors pop more. I would make this again, mostly because I liked the technique of searing the mushrooms to release the moisture. No soggy pizza! I did sub a Italian blend of preshredded cheese for the mozarella.

(picture from cookinglight.com)


The recipe as published with a couple of notes to adapt baking times for homemade crust:

Choosing a premade whole wheat pizza crust not only saves time, but it also introduces whole-grain benefits to the meal.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 2 wedges)

Ingredients
1 (10-ounce) whole wheat Italian thin pizza crust (such as Boboli)
Cooking spray
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 (8-ounce) package presliced cremini or button mushrooms
1 (6-ounce) package presliced portobello mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons grated Asiago cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large plum tomato, thinly sliced
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°. (450* if using homemade crust)

2. Place pizza crust on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° (450* with homemade) for 5 minutes. Remove crust from oven (do not turn oven off); set crust aside.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray; add 1 teaspoon oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add mushrooms to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until moisture evaporates. Stir in thyme; spoon mushroom mixture into a bowl.

4. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil to pan, and reduce heat to medium. Add garlic to pan; cook 45 seconds. Combine milk and flour in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add milk mixture to pan; cook 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Add Asiago and pepper, stirring until cheese melts.

5. Spread sauce over crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top evenly with mushroom mixture, tomato slices, and mozzarella. Bake at 375° (450*) for 10 (15-20) minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown. Cut pizza into 8 wedges.