The Second Crust
Let’s face it: 95% of the folks who get a pizza crust are going to smear some tomato sauce for a base, then layer on cheese, veg, and protein. (I am that 95%, by the way.) But with an online order, you get two crusts! So here’s a living doc of my idea of what to do with that Second Crust.
Do you have any interesting recipes? Send them to me and I’ll post them!
Apple Galette
Mushroom Tart
Krell Pizza Sauce
Apple Galette
Adapted from Jacques Pépin’s Apple Galette recipe, this incredibly easy and sweet and savory dessert is a perfect pair after eating the 95%’er savory-rich bomb. It’s fast and you can put it together when you’ve had two or more glasses of wine with your first crust ;-). Tip: Slice the apples before your second glass. The crust is ideal for this recipe because you can pile on the apples and it holds up better than thin pastry. Easier than puff pastry, too!
Ingredients:
1 Mostly Baked Sourdough Pizza Crust - Frozen is fine
2 Peeled and Thinly Sliced Green Apples, like Granny Smith - avoid soft and sweet varieties
1/3d Cup Granulated Sugar
4 TB/ 1/2 Stick of Salted Butter (sub olive oil if you’re not into dairy)
1 Tsp Kosher Salt
Orange Marmalade, or whatever you have in the fridge - something with some tartness is ideal
Method:
Preheat oven (or reduce) to 350 degrees
Lightly wipe a cookie sheet big enough to hold the crust with oil
Spread about 1/2 the sugar on the pan so it’s under the crust
Arrange the apple slices around the crust
Slice and arrange butter pieces on the apple slices
Spread the remaining sugar (yes, it’s a lot) on the apples
Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate, bake for 15-30 minutes more until the top is starting to brown. You may want to put it under the broiler for <5 minutes at the end to get the top crispy
Spread the marmalade or jam while it’s still hot
Mushroom Tart
Ok, this is incredibly savory - an unctuous, well-balanced meal that will impress the hell out of your friends or partner. Only you will know how easy it is to put together! Make sure and taste at the end to add more acid (lemon) or salt, so it’s balanced.
Ingredients
3TB Olive Oil
1 Large Onion or 2 shallots, sliced thin
Big handful of Wild Mushrooms (or whatever you can get- I used chanterelles and cremini)
2 Cloves Minced Garlic
2TB Pesto - make your own, or store bought is fine. You just want a bright, herbal base with plenty of rich parmesan
Lemon Zest from one lemon
1TB Strong herbs like thyme or oregano (if you have them)
1-2TB Grated Parmesan
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
Zest from 1 Lemon
Method
You’ll need to pre-cook/saute the onions and mushrooms to evaporate most of the water in both. They’ll finish in the oven.
Heat a skillet with low-medium heat large enough to hold most or all of your mushrooms with room to spare (or else you’ll do two batches of mushrooms).
Add the 2TB Olive oil, heat until shimmering. It’s a lot of oil, but you’ll need it
Add the sliced onion or shallots - more is better than fewer!
Sauté for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they soften - add salt - then sauté more until they brown on the edges
Remove the onions and add a 1TB of olive oil
Add the sliced mushrooms. Try not to crowd them to protect them from steaming, which will make them tasteless and rubbery - the traditional french method is to add them and not turn them until they’re browned underneath, lightly salt, then turn once. Spray or add a bit of oil if they’re too dried out and do more than one batch if necessary. Sauté until only lightly browned since you’ll be baking them on the crust.
(FWIW, when you’re preparing sautéed mushrooms for a dish, take them until they’re nicely browned on both sides, then remove until just before serving. At that time, heat up a knob of butter, add the mushrooms until heated and garlic, then serve.)
Turn off the heat and add the garlic with a bit of extra oil at the end of the sauté - no longer than 30 seconds necessary.
Now the easy and fun part - spread the pesto on the crust, arrange the onions, mushrooms and garlic on the crust, add herbs, Parmesan, and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Add a drizzle of olive oil, lemon zest, and sprinkle of kosher salt and black pepper before serving.
Krell Pizza Sauce
Krell Pizza Sauce
We first met Scott Krell and his wife a couple years ago, when we traded bread for barbecue sauce. Now, my thoughts on sauces like barbecue, pizza, salsa, etc., is that they’re commoditized - fungible - all the same, essentially. But this barbecue sauce was special - tangy, fruity, extraordinarily well balanced.
His pizza sauce is just as good. So good, actually, that I asked him to provide his recipe, which he graciously did. I’ve scaled this down from his 8 quart recipe to an 8 oz recipe, with pretty good approximation. My advice is to do a lot of tasting throughout, seeking that depth and balance of flavor.
You will not be disappointed by the results!
This makes about 8 ounces, perfect to store in a mid-sized mason jar.
Ingredients
1.5 Cups Large Yellow Onions - Large Dice
1 Cup of Medium White Onions - Large Dice
1 Clove of Garlic1/2 Shallot - Small Dice
1/2 Fire Roasted Red Pepper - Large Dice
1 or 2 Canned Italian Tomatoes - Large Chop into 1/8ths
4-6 Oz of Marinara Sauce
1Tsp of Cold Pressed Canola Oil
1TB of Butcher Style Black Pepper
1/2 Tsp of Italian Seasoning
1TB/Dash of Red Wine (Barolo, Cabernet Sauvignon/Franc..)
1Tsp (to taste) Simple Syrup (50/50 Organic White Sugar and Water)
1/2 Stalk of Fresh Basil De-Stemmed, Stack/Roll/Chiffonade
1/2 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper
Method
Add Oil to a 2 Quart Saucepan
Add Onions, stir on high heat for 4-5 minutes, or until they're clear
Reduce heat to medium
Add garlic and shallots, stir and cook for 5 minutes
Add fire roasted red pepper, cook for another 5 minutes
Add tomatoes and some sauce from the can
Add marinara
Add black pepper and stir
Add Italian seasoning
Add Wine, taste and adjust
Add half of the simple syrup, taste and adjust
Add basil and crushed red pepper
Taste - if too acidic, add more simple syrup
Cook over low heat for another 30 minutes