I had the chance to teach grilled pizzas in front of the crowd at The Meet: Blues, Brews and BBQ contest this weekend. To share the stage with two renowned chefs like Ray “Dr. BBQ” Lampe and California champion Brent Walton of the QN4U teamis a great honor, and ton of fun. I had a great time all week hanging out with both of them.

Thanks to everyone who came out to watch the show. I’ll write a little bit more about this event after I’ve made it home, but wanted to get my pizza dough recipe posted for anyone who was interested.

Yield: 4 thin crust 9” pizzas

This formula is designed for a thin crust pizza, and should stretch thin without tearing. It contains a relatively high proportion of water, and is supposed to feel a little bit tacky to the touch.

It also contains a small amount of yeast. The formula is designed to be refrigerated overnight. If you’re in a hurry, you may increase the amount of yeast to 1 teaspoon, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 1½ hours.

4.5 cups (20 oz by weight) all purpose flour
1.5 cups (12 oz by weight) warm water (70 – 90 degree F)
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 Tablespoon (generous) olive oil
1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast (see note above about yeast)

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and allow to proof for 5 minutes. If you don’t see the yeast bubble after 5 minutes, you may have stale yeast.Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl
Add olive oil into flour mixture, and combine with fingers
Add the water into the flour mixture all at once, and stir with a rubber spatula until the water is mostly absorbed. You may have spots of dry flour, that’s ok.
Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, to allow the flour to absorb the water.
Knead the dough for 1-2 minutes, until it’s evenly textured. It should be on the wet side, somewhat tacky but not overly sticky. If it’s too wet, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until it’s manageable.
Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces
Roll the dough into a smooth ball, pulling the skin of the dough tightly and pinching the seam that forms during the forming process.
Place the dough into a lightly oiled container, such as plastic wares, or even a zipper lock plastic bag.
Place in the fridge overnight to proof slowly. This dough is forgiving, and will allow up to 4 days of proofing without complaint. It also freezes well. Allow the dough to rise overnight prior to freezing, and use within 1 month.

Long before industrial snack foods and convenience stores were imagined, boiled peanuts fed the car driving public’s craving for salty snacks. Throughout the American South, roadside vendors set up high BTU propane burners and kettles at gas stations, fruit stands, and empty lots to serve locally grown peanuts in a style as old as the dirt they grew in.

Thanks to an influx of Southeast Asian farmers, Californians with a Dixie heritage can fill their cravings for an absent favorite. Peanuts feature prominently in cuisines influenced by the Chinese diaspora, so inquire among the Hmong, Vietnamese, and Thai specialty growers at your local L.A. area farmers market.

Raw, or “green” peanuts, still moist from the damp earth in which it grew, more closely resemble pod beans than tree nuts. Botanically speaking, they are legumes. As these freshly harvested peanuts dry, they harden and take on a more nut like character. Boiled peanuts don’t have the crunch you’d expect from the dry roasted variety, but a wet, briny, bean like texture, more like edamame’s country cousin.

The local season lasts through the end of December.

Basic Boiled Peanuts

1 pound green, or raw, peanuts
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a pot, and bring to a boil. You can adjust the brine strength to your preference, but a long boil will increase the salt concentration.
Reduce heat, and cover with a lid cracked opened slightly.
Gently simmer for an hour and a half, stirring occasionally so the peanuts don’t stick to the bottom and burn.

There’s nothing new under the sun in the food world and this technique as applied to fruit preserves is probably in use somewhere. For all I know, this might be a common technique in jam making, which I know little about. If you know of a recipe like this that starts by adding fruit to hot caramel, please point me to it so I can research it further.

The key idea is to minimize the cooking time to retain the fresh fruit flavors and aromas. Start with no added liquid other than honey and maple syrup cooked down until it’s a caramel. Adding fruit to this intensely hot syrup causes the fruit to pop quickly and give up its juices fast. The small amount of juice produced is the only liquid that needs to cook off.

This recipe yields a chunky sauce of thick consistency with cranberries that still pop between the teeth, and apples that stil have some texture. If you like a less chunky sauce, I have some suggestions after the recipe.

********
Fresh n’ Fruity Cranberry Chutney
©2004 Professor Salt

Yield: roughly 1/2 quart (all measurements in US units)

Ingredients:
One 12 oz. bag fresh cranberries
1 medium sized apple – I used a Fuji
1/4 cup maple syrup - I like the dark and strongly flavored US grade B
1/4 cup honey
freshly grated zest of 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Optional:
Black pepper, a few grinds, to taste
Ground cardomom, to taste
Grand Marnier, a splash to add flavor, but not enough to booze it up.
Maple syrup, to taste

1. Rinse cranberries in a bowl of water. Discard stems and spoiled berries. Drain berries in a colander.
2. Core and chop apple, with skin on, into small pieces about the same size as cranberries
3. Mix maple syrup and honey in a 3 quart saucepot with a heavy clad bottom, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Reduce the syrup and measure it with a candy thermometer until it reaches hard crack stage, 300 degrees Farenheit.
5. Quickly add cranberries.
6. Stir fruit with a heat resistant silicone spatula or wooden spoon constantly for 2 minutes. Scrape syrup off the bottom of pot, and coat all of the fruit with the syrup.
7. Add the apples, and stir again to coat.
8. Reduce heat to low, and allow the fruit to seep out its juices.
9. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes or until the juices have evaporated and/or absorbed into the sauce. Stir every few minutes during cooking. Time will vary depending on how juicy the fruit started out.
10. Remove pot from heat, and dip the pot into a sinkful of cool water to bring contents quickly to room temperature.
11. Add salt, pepper, lemon zest, and optional ingredients like vanillla, Grand Marnier, or spices, and taste.
12. If more sweetener is desired, drizzle maple syrup and meditate until nirvana is achieved.
13. Transfer cooled sauce into a sealed container, and store in refrigerator.

********

NOTE: Sugar burns are extremely painful. DO NOT touch or taste the syrup no matter how tempting it looks. Use a larger pot than you think you need (I used a 3 quart saucier) because the syrup foams up alot. Overspilled sugar will wreak havoc on your stovetop. Ask me how I know.

Maple and honey start boiling. Its water content is still high at this point. Pay attention to its color and the size of bubbles as it cooks off.

240F, “soft ball” stage. Individual bubbles are fairly large, and color has darkened.

300F, “hard crack” stage. I’m a jackass and dropped the thermometer. Tiny bubbles form a tall foam.

Cranberries start popping immdiately. Stir well to coat evenly.

Apples go in a minute later. Notice the amount of juice already given off.

Sorry, I didn’t take a photo of the final product. Use the Force to know when it’s done, you will.

This is a tart, almost chutney-like sauce because the honey and maple syrup have caramelized enough that it loses its sugary character and takes on a darkly roasted caramel flavor. The variety of apple will also affect its sweetness. If you want yours sweeter, add additional maple syrup after the sauce has cooled to room temperature.

If you like a less chunky sauce where all the cranberry skins have popped, try one of these options:

1) Cover the pot while it cooks to retain liquid, and increase your cooking time to 30 minutes or slightly more. The additional time will help break down the cranberry skins until they’ve all popped.
or
2) Cook the sauce uncovered per the instructions, then run the room temperature product briefly through a food processor.

If you try this technique, please come back and comment. I’m still dialing it in and I’d appreciate your feedback.