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Good afternoon and Happy Sunday!! I am kicking things off today with a photo from a pink donut tasting I experienced on Friday. Yes, a pink donut tasting. On May 3, I am hosting a VIPink Brunch at Westfield Mission Valley (my full-time gig), and there will be a pink Nomad Donut station at the event. Nomad Donuts is my new favorite donut spot in San Diego, because they can bring. the. flavor. Seriously, they switch up their donut flavors daily, and they’re always coming up with new, intriguing combinations (sweet and savory). Check out some of my Nomad Donut Instagram shares here, here, here and here. If you live in San Diego, and you’d like to attend the VIPink Brunch, you can purchase tickets here. They’re $10, and 100% of the proceeds benefit Bright Pink. Plus you’ll get to sample 3 of the pink donuts I selected from the choices above!
I should mention that as May 3 approaches, much of my time and energy will be devoted to the success of the event. Weekends will be used to decompress (yoga, video games, beach time, etc.). I apologize in advance for a decrease in posting and possible delays in comment replies. Now on to other tasty food news from the past several weeks. Let’s dish (including 3 new recipes below)!
The nibbles:
- Stephanie recently shared the Jalapeno Popper Deviled Eggs shown above. As you are all well aware, I am a deviled egg FREAK, so I cannot wait to try these out.
- The Green Mary. Amazing!
- Carrot Bloody Mary. Amazing x2!
- Graham made these Cosmic Brownies and I want one or two or three right NOW!
- Four words: Lemon. Bar. Ice. Cream.
- Billy made some Caramelized Honey & Sea Salt Gelato Pops (pictured below). I just can’t. No wait, I can. Actually, I have to. I must.
- Elise recently baked up a batch of Browned Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies. They’re currently cooking in my oven right now. The smell is incredible! Brown butter literally makes everything better.
- This Slutty Frenchman (#notdirty) should totally get together with my Slut’s Spaghetti.
- A pizza made with 5 different pork products. Yes.
- A big thanks to Heidi for this feature, and Jessica for this mention!!
- I just downloaded the NYT Cooking App, and I love it! I’m a huge fan of the NYT food section (especially Melissa Clark), and this app puts thousands of recipes easily in reach. Check it out!
- Apparently, these are Ina’s favorite cookies. I must try them.
- The Apple Watch. I was intrigued by the idea when Apple first announced the watch; however, after the pricing release, I’m not longer interested. The one I would want is $999, and I just find that cost down right ridiculous. Perhaps I should just settle for a cheaper one? What are your thoughts on the Apple Watch?
- Spring produce is in full effect, and I am loving it. I’ve been sharing a number of food photos on Instagram of my recent creations, and many of you have been asking for recipes or if I am going to share on the blog. Since my time is short right now, I most likely will not be sharing any dedicated recipe posts, so I thought I would share some more informal recipes here. First up, Wild Ramp and Ricotta Pizza (above).
Wild Ramp and Ricotta Pizza
Ingredients
- A handful of ramps (about 1/4 pound), rinsed thoroughly and root ends trimmed
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Nonstick spray
- 1 ball of pizza dough (I get mine from a local pizzeria)
- Grated part-skin mozzarella cheese (a few handfuls)
- Canned tomato sauce (I used about 1/2 a can per pizza)
- 6 tablespoons ricotta cheese
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat an over to 500°F and set an oven rack on the lowest possible position.
- Cut each ramp where the bulb/stem (white and pink part) meets the leaves. Thinly slice the bulbs/stems, and chop up the leaves. Warm butter plus 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet set over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the sliced bulbs/stems with a small pinch of salt, and cook until soft, but not brown (3 to 4 minutes). Stir in the chopped ramp leaves, and cook for 1 more minute. Season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper. Set aside.
- Lightly coat a pizza pan with nonstick spray. Using your hands, stretch the dough out into a large round that fits the pizza pan. Drizzle the surface of the dough with a little olive oil, and spread the oil around evenly with your hands. Sprinkle the dough with a little salt. Cover the surface of the dough with several handfuls of grated cheese, and spoonfuls of tomato sauce. I don't like to drown my pizza in sauce, so I spoon sparingly. Dot the surface of the pizza with tablespoons of ricotta cheese, then sprinkle the sauce and cheese with kosher salt. Spoon the sautéed ramp mixture evenly over the pizza, followed by a dusting of Parmesan cheese and a light drizzle of olive oil.
- Bake on the bottom rack until the bottom of the pizza is golden brown (for me, this is 10 minutes). Let rest for a few minutes, then slice and serve.
- Ramps and fiddlehead ferns are only available for a few months/weeks out of the year, and timing can vary depending on weather conditions. Ramps were running late this year because of extended cold weather on the East Coast. If you can find either of these items in your local market, I would highly recommend getting some and trying them out. Ramps are one of my favorite seasonal ingredients ever. This morning, I baked them into a frittata :).
Fiddlehead, Ramp and Prosciutto Frittata
Ingredients
- 4 thin slices of prosciutto, torn into pieces
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 ramps, thoroughly rinsed and root ends trimmed
- A couple handfuls of fiddlehead ferns, rinsed and trimmed
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 eggs
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons crema (sour cream, creme fraiche, milk or cream would also be fine)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Chopped parsley, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat a broiler to high, and set a rack close to the heating element.
- Add prosciutto to a 10-inch skillet, and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat until the edges start to crisp. While the prosciutto is cooking, cut the white/pink portion of the ramp from the leaves. Thinly slice the white/pink portion and chop up the leaves. Transfer prosciutto to a plate, increase the heat to medium, add butter to the skillet along with the fiddlehead ferns, sliced white/pink portion of the ramps and a pinch of salt. Cook until tender (3 - 4 minutes), then stir in the chopped ramp greens and cook for 1 minute longer.
- Beat together the eggs, Parmesan, crema, a couple of pinches of salt and several turns of black pepper with a fork, then add to the skillet with the ferns and ramps. Add cooked prosciutto. Using a spatula, stir the eggs as if you were scrambling them for 1 minute. Continue to cook the eggs until the sides start to set, but the top still looks wet (about 2 minutes). Run your spatula around the edge of the skillet to create a little space, then drizzle olive oil around the edge. Run your spatula once more around the edge, so the olive oil gets between the sides of the skillet and the eggs. Move the skillet below the broiler, and cook until the top gets golden brown and bubbly (3 to 4 minutes).
- While the skillet is still warm, carefully use a spatula to transfer the frittata to a plate or cutting board. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
- Finally, Grapefruit and Aperol Granita with Vanilla Ice Cream. Jorge recently had some family in town, and we had them over for dinner yesterday. I had a surplus of citrus on my kitchen counter, so I decided to make a simple granita (Italian shaved ice). I then paired this granita with vanilla ice cream similar to a Gelati at Rita’s. Much better though 🙂
Grapefruit and Aperol Granita with Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 3 cups fresh citrus juice (I mainly used ruby red grapefruit here, but I also mixed in some tangerine and blood orange juice)
- 1/4 cup Aperol
- Kosher salt
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
- Warm sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring mixture to a boil, bubble for 1 minute, then take the saucepan off the heat. Let cool completely.
- Combine sugar-water mixture, citrus juice and Aperol in a medium bowl, stirring to combine. Add a small pinch of salt, then season to taste with lemon juice. The flavors should really pop. I squeezed in about 1/2 a lemon. Pour mixture into a baking dish (preferably metal), and transfer to the freezer. Wait 2 hours, then, using a fork, stir up the mixture, scraping any icy bits from the edges to the center. Continue freezing, and stir/scrap every 30 minutes until the mixture is frozen and flaky.
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
Thanks for those fun bloody mary links! Love a good bloody mary and those are so creative! And I’ve seen those cookies of Ina’s before. In typical Ina fashion, there’s a stick of butter and 3/4 cup of sugar to just 3/4 cup of flour. Love the way she thinks 🙂 Have a great rest of your weekend!
Brandon Matzek says
Hahaha yes!!! That’s the only real way to make cookies, right :)?
Brian @ A Thought For Food says
Sounds like a wonderful event! I need to get to NOMAD if I make it out that way. Sucker for festive donuts.
Still haven’t downloaded the NY Times cooking app. Need to get on that. Hope you had a great weekend and have a wonderful week!
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Brian! I should be a fun one. And yes, if you come visit, I’ll take you over to Nomad Donuts!
Shannon @ Dinner from the Heart says
I’m a sucker for pink things – I would totally swoon over a pink donut taste testing session! So YummY!! I’m also in love with deviled eggs – try them with bacon and sriracha, your taste buds will thank you. 🙂
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks for the deviled egg tip Shannon. YUM!!
Sam @ PancakeWarriors says
That roasted ramp pizza is looking crazy good!! Gotta try it!
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Sam. Ramps are a real treat. I look forward to them every year!
Olivia @ Olivia's Cuisine says
That pizza had me drooling all over my keyboard. As for the Apple Watch, I think I’ll wait for the next generation as I do with every Apple new gadget. Version 2 is usually improved and, if not, I’ll buy the old one then, when it will be cheaper! 😛
Amanda Paa says
love the picture of those donuts, and what a fun collaboration. ramp season is right around the corner here in Minnesota, so these recipes are perfect timing!
Linda @ Food Huntress says
What a fun pink event that you are hosting and for a worthy charity. The dishes on here look really good. Good luck with your event!
jenn @ Peas and Crayons says
Ohmygosh I have to send my friend Meghan to your blog! She is ramp obsessed and will die over these recipes! Keep the yum coming!
Cynthia/What A Girl Eats says
How fun and pretty those look. I think the hibiscus grapefruit looks intriguing!
Michelle@healthiersteps says
Love the wild ramp and fiddlehead in the recipes and the donuts look so delicious!
Sharon @Plated with Style says
That pizza….OMG!! I love pizza with some greens on it and it looks gorgeous! 😀
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Sharon!!
Annie @Maebells says
That pizza!!! Oh man! It is calling my name, and I am totally loving those donut flavors, delish!
Brandon Matzek says
Thank you Annie! That pizzas was suuuuuper tasty.
de_dietrich says
I love seasoning recipes and can’t wait till it’s going to start this year 🙂 And pizza looks delicious 🙂
Alana says
HOLY FRITTATA!!! I want all four servings right now!! And those pink donuts are to die for (ummmm yuzu raspberry chili?!? WOAHHH!!!).
Brandon Matzek says
Haha thanks Alana!! Yeah I was definitely eating real good that week.