Weekend Cooking

The last few weeks have been full of new recipes and techniques to try at my house, including the Daring Bakers February challenge yesterday. I’ve been so busy this week that I’m just now posting last weekend’s cooking adventure. From pizza to crème brûlée, each was a new and delightful experience.

No Knead Pizza Dough

Moving on from Jim Lahey’s No Knead Bread project, I tried his No Knead Pizza Dough recipe last Saturday night.


First I studied how to toss pizza dough before beginning the recipe. In this video, Chef Michael Kalanty from the California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu Program, San Francisco, demonstrates the process.


© Dub Scroggin, All Rights Reserved

I tried Chef Kalanty’s technique, throwing pizza dough around my kitchen like a mad woman.


© Dub Scroggin, All Rights Reserved

After the tossing adventure, the dough was suitably situated on my pizza stone. I was a little worried at first as the dough is so sticky and behaved a bit like Silly Putty, wanting to resort to its original shape. Finally I managed to put it in its place—after all, I explained to my husband, I’m the one in charge, not the pizza dough.

Pepperoni, mozzarella, and a handful of red, yellow, and orange bell peppers were added and the ensuing concoction made for some yummy homemade pizza.

Menu for Oscars Night

Thanks to Anna’s post about her Valentine’s night dinner, I was able to borrow her menu to create a special dinner to celebrate the Oscars last Sunday. We enjoyed:

• Potatoes Savoyard (Thimbleanna)
• Roasted Asparagus (Ina Garten)
• Steak au Poivre (Williams-Sonoma)
• Crème brûlée (Williams-Sonoma)

© Dub Scroggin, All Rights Reserved

I actually missed the Oscars since so much time was spent on the dinner, but Saucy’s “Oscar Dress Rundown” post brought me up to speed.


Here’s another tutorial I watched in order to make the crème brûlée as demonstrated by Chef Marc Bauer of the French Culinary Institute. I love YouTube—you can learn all kinds of things.