Shrimp Pesto Pizza

This is a nice pantry dish. This recipe makes 1 12-inch pizza -- enough for two servings, although truth be told I've been known to eat the whole thing myself!  When we have the little sweet pink Florida shrimp here I always try to freeze some to throw on pizza or in soup, like Moqueca.  

Pizza dough improves enormously in flavor if you put it in the fridge for 24 hours.

Pizza dough:
2 cups bread flour
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
Enough water to pull it all together, about 1 cup

Mix together dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.  Add water until it just barely pulls together into a ball.  Let it sit 15 minutes to absorb the water.  Give it a couple of kneads, oil the bowl a bit, put the dough back in and cover it.  If you can, stick it in the fridge until the next day -- the flavor will be much better!  When you take it out of the fridge the next day, let it come to room temp and rise a bit.  If you don't have the time, then just let it double in size (about an hour), and then continue with the recipe.

Cut the dough in half -- put half of the dough in a ziploc bag and freeze it for another time. (or, double the fillings below to make two 12-inch pizzas to serve 4).  Flour your peel or a cutting board, and gently press the remaining dough into a 12-inch circle, making a little ridge around the edge with your fingers.

Toppings:
1 1/2 tsp olive oil, divided
1/2 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined -- smaller ones are better for this.
ground pepper
2 tsp pesto*
1 clove garlic, minced or run through a garlic press.
1/4 cup grated parmesan
red pepper flakes (optional)

Put a cast iron pan or a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees (or up to 550, if your oven will go that high).

Heat a skillet over medium heat, put 1/2 tsp of olive oil in it and add the shrimp.  Gently saute the shrimp until they just barely stop being translucent -- you don't want to cook them completely.

Brush the pizza crust with the remaining olive oil, and spread the pesto and garlic around with your fingers.  Top with the shrimp.  Top with cheese and red pepper.  Slide it onto the stone or pan in the oven and bake until brown and crispy, about 10-15 minutes, depending on how hot your oven is.

Note:  If you have it, you could throw a handful of arugula on it as you take it out of the oven, to make it a one-dish meal.  Or serve with a salad and a crisp white wine.

* When you make pesto, make it up to right before you add the butter and cheese, and freeze it in ice cube trays.  That way you always have a bag of small chunks of pesto to throw into soup, sauce, pasta, etc.

Passionfruit Ice Cream

I have a total crush on David Liebovitz. As, I suspect, do many others. I seriously have never made a recipe of his that wasn't amazing.  So when my local farmer's market had a bushel of gorgeous passion fruits the other day (the season is freakishly short -- if you see them, buy them ALL and freeze the pulp), I knew I had to make this.  Combined with eggs just snatched from under the chicken this morning, it was possibly the most delicious thing I've ever eaten.  

from The Perfect Scoop

1/2 cup fresh or frozen passion fruit pulp (from 6 to 8 fresh passion fruits)

1 cup heavy cream

6 tbsp whole milk

7 tbsp sugar

pinch of salt

3 large egg yolks

a few drops of pure orange oil, or grated zest of 1 small orange (optional)

spoonful of passion fruit seeds (optional)

1. To extract the pulp from the passion fruit, cut each passion fruit in half at the equator and scoop the pulp and seeds into a nonreactive strainer set over a bowl. Use a flexible rubber spatula to press and extract as much of the precious pulp as possible, until the seeds look rather dry.  

2. Mix together the passion fruit pulp and 1/2 cup of the cream in a large bowl. Set a mesh strainer over the bowl.

3. Warm the milk, sugar, salt and the remaining 1/2 cup cream in a medium saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

4. Stir the mixture constantly over the medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the passion fruit and cream mixture. Mix a few drops of orange oil, if using, then stir until cook over an ice bath.

5. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Add a spoonful of passion fruit seeds to the custard during the least few minutes of churning, if you wish.

Note:  I DIDN'T use orange oil, but DID add a spoonful of the nice crunchy seeds back in at the end. Also -- don't throw out the remaining seeds and pulp!  Put them in a jar with a little sugar and some cider vinegar and make a nice passionfruit shrub!