Gelato vs. Ice Cream, the Battle in Which There Are No Losers

20 Aug

As a quick side note concerning last month’s annual trek to San Francisco, it bears sharing that we engaged in a voracious debate concerning which icy treat was more favorable: ice cream or gelato.

St. James Whiskey gelato, topped with a scoop of apricot sorbetto, from Naia in North Beach

In reality, there are very few properties that separate gelato from ice cream.  Both are icy treats made from milk and cream, both are churned while freezing, and both can be served via cone or cup.  The main differences between gelato and ice cream lie in three areas: the ratio of milk to cream contained in each (gelato contains less cream, more milk, resulting in a marginally lower fat product with a less heavy taste), the amount of air contained within each (gelato is churned more slowly than ice cream, which allows less air to be incorporated into the mix and makes for a denser end product), and the temperature at which each item is served (gelato is served at a temperature slightly above freezing, ice cream is served frozen).

Chocolate ice cream from Bi-Rite Creamery in the Misson

Facts sorted and items sampled, we considered our tastings.  Bi-Rite Creamery, by making its ice cream in very small batches, maintains a virtue similar to that of most gelato makers (okay, so I recant my above statement about there being three main differences between gelato and ice cream–there are actually four main differences, that being that gelato is meant to be made in very small batches, and ice cream, unless made at home or at an artisanal ice cream shop like Bi-Rite Creamery, is generally not).  Both Naia and Bi-Rite Creamery offer a selection of sorbets, and both places excel at making delicious, unique flavors of their product (I would have taken a picture of the balsamic strawberry ice cream, salted caramel ice cream, and brown sugar ice cream with a ginger caramel swirl that were consumed during this sampling of icy treats,  but I was, delightfully, too busy tasting them to even think about my camera).

In the end, ice cream and gelato were declared dual winners in the unofficial competition.  Not only were we unable to choose a winner between the two frozen delights, but we were unwilling.  To declare one better over the other seemed an almost ridiculous task, especially when, as evidenced below, we found it virtually impossible to register a single complaint about either.

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How to Cook Pizza on the Grill

18 Aug

Summer is limping along here (it is currently 63 degrees and cloudy), but I remain determined to make the most of whatever warm weather we are granted over the next month or so.  Though I have yet to really feel as though we have experienced a proper summer thus far, I have, at least, done a good job of pretending it’s truly summer by grilling as much of our food as humanly possible.

I’ve always been a fan of grilling, but this summer has been a particularly active one in terms of experimentation and learning.  In just a couple of months we’ve tackled smoking both salmon and ribs, and we’ve taken to grilling fruit, corn, and, most recently, pizza.

In yet another story of I Was Told This Would Be Difficult, grilling pizza was always presented to me as a specialized activity that would require the use of either a pizza stone (which we no longer have), or a cast iron pan (which we do have, and I did try, but, um, let’s just say that while I am a fan of blackened catfish, I am not, as it turns out, a fan of blackened pizza).  I think the problem with many grilled pizza tutorials is that the end result is meant to mimic that of a wood-fired pizza oven, and, though admirable in its reach, that’s one extremely tall order that might be best left to real, actual wood-fired pizza ovens.

In more heartening news, I have discovered that grilling a pizza is not so different from grilling naan, which I always, weather permitting, prefer to cook on a screaming hot outdoor grill rather than in a screaming hot oven in my kitchen (where my child loves to run around, throw things, and—dear lord, I can taste the danger just typing this).  As with smoking things on a grill, the secret to grilling a perfect pizza lies in the utilization of indirect heat.  Once you initially cook one side of your pizza dough on the heated side of the grill, giving the dough a great crunch, you flip your dough over onto the unheated side of the grill, load the dough up with toppings (less is always better here, since the logistics of grilling a pizza are a bit fussier than just cooking a pizza in your oven), then wait a short 5 minutes, slide the dough back over to the heated side for a final blast of heat (this ensures a fantastic crispness), and you’re done.

Standing outside, in front of your grill, the scent of browning dough wafting through the air, you really feel the essence of summer’s casual buzz.  In reality, grilling a pizza takes just about the same amount of time, give or take a minute or two, as cooking a pizza in the oven, but the end result is something a bit more rustic, a bit more special.  Your pizza will have a fantastic flavor, your dough an unparalleled crispness, and your summer a little more pleasure.

How to Cook Pizza on the Grill

Makes 1 Pizza Margherita

Dough for 1 pizza (This is my favorite pizza dough, and I really think that if you try it out, it will fast become your favorite as well.)

1 clove of garlic, smashed and finely minced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese

1 Roma tomato (or another similarly fleshy plum tomato), thinly sliced

handful of fresh basil leaves

vegetable oil, for oiling the grill

Set up your grill for indirect cooking.  I talk a bit more about indirect grilling here, but basically what you want to do is heat one side of your grill on high heat, and leave the other side unheated.

Thoroughly oil the grates of your grill.

Combine the garlic clove and olive oil and set aside.  Prepare all of your ingredients and have them set up within close proximity to your grill.

Using your hands, never a rolling pin (flattening out pizza dough with a rolling pin forces all the air out of the dough and makes it tough), stretch out your pizza dough until it resembles a circle roughly 12 inches across (if it’s not a perfect circle, don’t worry).  When making a pizza outside on the grill, I like to stretch my dough out on a well-floured baking sheet, as it contains the flour mess and helps make clean up exceptionally easy.

Brush the top of the dough with your garlic and olive oil mixture.  Place your dough, garlic and oil side down, on the heated side of the grill.  Allow the dough to cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the dough starts to bubble and the bottom, when lifted, has visible grill marks.

Using a metal spatula, flip your dough over, garlic and olive oil side up, onto the non-heated side of the grill.  Pinch off pieces of fresh mozzarella and place them onto the top of the dough, then intersperse tomato slices around the mozzarella.  Close the lid of the grill and allow the pizza to cook for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes, open the lid of the grill and check on the pizza.  The cheese should be melted (keep in mind that it will not be slightly browned as when you cook a pizza in your oven), and the edges of the dough should look dry and crisp.  If the cheese has not melted or the pizza looks especially wet, close the lid once more and allow the pizza to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.

When the cheese has melted, slide the pizza back onto the heated portion of the grill.  Let the pizza cook for 1 minute, until the underside is super crisp and just on the verge of turning black.  This will give your pizza crust an incredible crispness and deep flavor.

Remove the pizza from the grill.  Tear up the basil leaves and scatter them on top of the pizza.  Cut pizza into slices and serve immediately.

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Quick All Parmesan Crackers

15 Aug

For as infrequently as my husband and I entertain, you’d be faced with quite a difficult task if challenged to find someone who is more prepared to entertain than I am.  We own more cocktail glasses and tiny plates than I think we’ll ever be able to use.  There are at least three types of cheese knives in our silverware drawer, we’re never without an assortment of nuts and crackers for snacking, and we live four blocks away from an absolutely divine wine shop that is more than capable of supplying us with several festive nights’ worth of beverages.

My favorite party trick, however, might just be the one I only recently discovered.  Last week, after finishing off a small, precious package of delicate Parmesan crackers that was gifted to me by my cousin, I began to sniffle a little at the thought of no longer being able to nibble the crackers while enjoying a small splash of white wine as we relaxed in the garden each night.  The crackers were absolutely delightful, you see, very light, pleasantly piquant, and the perfect item to pair with a little nightcap.  Their savory secret lied in the fact that the crackers were made of nothing more than baked Parmesan cheese, a bit of knowledge I was privy to when I first received the crackers, but not really in full realization of until I ran out of them and almost immediately began to yearn for more.

The crackers, allow me to repeat, were made out of nothing but Parmesan cheese, an item I not only had in my refrigerator right then, but always make sure to have in the refrigerator at all times.  The mourning period was over.  The crackers would return.

And, ten minutes later, they did.  Brightened up with a small sprinkling of chopped fresh rosemary (an herb we are able to grow year-round) and a dash of cracked pepper (which, come on, everybody has on hand), I soon found myself in the company of my very own plate of homemade Parmesan crackers that are as easy to make as they are enjoyable to eat.  Made of only two ingredients at most, these crackers are a simple, satisfying treat that are the perfect greeting for any guest.  Or, if you are like me and my husband, they are the perfect small bite to enjoy while engaging very contentedly in a small and cozy party of two.

Quick Parmesan Crackers

These crackers are a totally self-contained treat, meaning they are not the type of cracker one is meant to eat topped with anything.  Trust me, though, you won’t long for any embellishment when eating one of these fine snacks, as they are perfectly fulfilling and satisfying all on their own.

Quick All Parmesan Crackers

½ cup coarsely shredded (not grated) Parmesan cheese

That’s it.  No, seriously.  That’s all.

Optional:

very finely chopped fresh rosemary

freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Scoop 1 rounded teaspoon of Parmesan cheese into a little mound on the parchment lined baking sheet.  If you want to add rosemary or black pepper to your crackers, sprinkle a pinch of each one onto as many Parmesan mounds as you wish, and gently mix in with your fingers.

Bake crackers for 5 minutes on the center rack of the oven.  The crackers will be done when they are deeply golden at the edges and just beginning to turn golden in the middle.  Remove sheet pan from the oven, and allow crackers to cool on pan for 2-3 minutes, until they have cooled firm enough to not fall apart when removed with a flexible spatula.

Makes 20-24 crackers.

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