Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Figs, Bacon and Gorgonzola

Along with the uniquely flavored ice creams we've been making for Ice Cream Sundays, we're also going to start making some uniquely flavored pizzas. Here is our first. (It's based on this recipe, but I had to adjust to make more.)

Pizza Dough:
2-1/2 tsp dry yeast (buy this in bulk at the co-op and you will save a bunch)
1 T sugar
1 cup warm water
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 T olive oil

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water and let sit for 10 minutes. Add rest of ingredients. Spread it on a pizza pan (we use a cookie sheet).


Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion
1 red onion
3 tsp fresh thyme leaves
3 bay leaves
8 thick slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch thick batons
18 dried mission figs, stems trimmed, cut into quarters or small pieces
8 oz. crumbled Gorgonzola



Directions

1. Preheat the oven 500 degrees.

2. Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the onions, thyme and bay leaves. Cook until the onions have softened and turn a deep, golden brown, about 25 minutes.

3. Cut the bacon and cook it up.

4. Cover pizza dough with the toppings: the caramelized onions first, then the figs and bacon, and finally the Gorgonzola. Shake the pizza peel slightly to make sure the dough is not sticking. Bake for 7 minutes.

Azuki Bean Ice Cream

Our latest for Ice Cream Sunday. (Based on this recipe.)

FOR THE AZUKI PASTE:
1/2 cup washed azuki beans
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch salt

FOR THE ICE CREAM:
2 fresh vanilla beans
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1-1⁄2 cups milk
1-1⁄2 cups heavy cream

1. For the azuki paste: Put beans in a saucepan full of water, bring to a boil, then drain in a colander. Return beans to pan, add 3–4 cups water, cover, and simmer until beans are very soft and have absorbed all the water, 30–40 minutes. (Azukis cook faster than many other varieties of bean.) Stir in sugar and cook over low heat until sugar has dissolved and beans form a soft, chunky paste. Add salt and allow paste to cool.

2. For the ice cream: Slice vanilla beans lengthwise down the center with a sharp paring knife. With your fingers, spread beans open, then scrape out and reserve black seeds, discarding pods. Put seeds in a small bowl, add 1⁄4 cup of the sugar, and mix well.

2. In a medium bowl, combine remaining 3⁄4 cup sugar, vanilla–sugar combination, and egg yolks, and beat until mixture becomes creamy and turns a pale yellow. Add milk and cream and mix well into a custard-like consistency. Refrigerate until ready to use, preferably overnight.

3. Pour custard into an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions. About 10 minutes before ice cream is ready, feed the azuki paste into ice cream maker. Serve immediately or freeze in an airtight container to keep ice cream soft until ready to use.

Ginger Green Tea Ice Cream

This is my least favorite of our Ice Cream Sundays so far. It wasn't creamy enough and the flavor was too subtle.

Nevertheless, here is the recipe (adapted from here):

2-1/3 cups milk
2 T loose leaf green tea
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated, more if desired
1/3 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
4 teaspoons sugar
1 cup heavy cream
 
In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, tea, grated ginger and 1/3 cup sugar.  Heat to just under boiling. Remove from the heat and allow to steep for at least 20 minutes.

Strain through a fine mesh strainer, pushing on the solids to extract all the good flavors. Return the milk to the saucepan.

 

Heat the milk mixture gently until bubbles form around the edge.

 

Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks on high speed of an electric mixer, adding the remaining sugar, until the yolks have thickened and become a pale yellow.

 

Whisk 1/4 of the milk mixture into the egg yolks, blending thoroughly, then whisk the egg mixture back into the milk remaining in the saucepan.

 

Heat this mixture gently on low, stirring constantly, until it thickens slightly, coats the back of the spoon, and leaves a track on the back of the spoon when you run your finger across.

 

Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

 

Pour into a glass container and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until thoroughly chilled.

Stir in the cold cream prior to processing in an ice cream maker.

Popcorn Salad

Remember when my kids made food videos? I didn't post this one, of Ocean making Popcorn Salad,

originally, but I want to have it on here now. For posterity's sake.

Here is the recipe. It sounds weird, but it is actually quite good.

Ingredients:

16 oz bacon, cooked and chopped
3/4 cup mayonnaise (See recipe below)
1 cup celery, diced
1-1/4 cup cheese, shredded
1/4 cup carrots, shredded
2 T chives, minced
8 oz water chestnuts
12 cups popped popcorn

*Mayo Recipe: 2 egg yolks, 1 tsp dry mustard, 1 T apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1-1/4 cup olive oil. SLOWLY whisk olive oil into the mixture.

Mix all the ingredients except for the popcorn (and save bacon and 1/4 cup cheese). Add popcorn and stir. Sprinkle bacon and the 1/4 cup cheese on top.

Basil Gelato

It's Ice Cream Sunday. Today, it was Basil Gelato. It was good and interesting. I got the recipe here.

Ingredients

2 cups basil leaves
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
¾ cup sugar
1 tbsp. lemon zest
¼ tsp. salt
6 egg yolks

Instructions

Combine basil, milk, cream, sugar, zest, salt, and yolks in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a 2-qt. saucepan and heat gently until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and pour through a fine strainer; chill in the refrigerator. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve garnished with fresh basil leaves.