Roasted Fall Vegetable and Ricotta Pizza

Prep: 25 minutes

Total: 50 minutes

Ingredients

Serves 4

• Olive oil, for baking sheet and drizzling
• Flour, for dusting surface
• 1 pound store-bought pizza dough, fresh, or thawed if frozen
• 8 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
• 6 cups (about 1/2 recipe) Roasted Fall Vegetables, drained and coarsely cut
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves (optional)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Brush a large baking sheet (preferably rimless) with oil, or line with parchment paper, if desired, for easy cleanup.




2. On a lightly floured surface, roll and stretch dough into a 12-by-16-inch oval (or as large as will fit on baking sheet); transfer to sheet.




3. Sprinkle dough with half the mozzarella. Scatter vegetables on top, and dollop with ricotta; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and, if using, rosemary. Drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Bake until bubbling and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve.

Quiche

This delicious quiche recipe is courtesy of Elisabeth Prueitt.

Ingredients

Makes one 10-inch quiche

• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 1/2 recipe Flaky Tart Dough
• 10 large eggs
• 2 cups creme fraiche
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme

Directions

1. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough into a 16-inch round. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off any excess flour; fit dough into a 2-inch deep-dish tart pan with a removable bottom, gently pressing it into the sides. Using a sharp knife, trim the dough evenly with the edge of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap; chill tart shell until firm, about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

3. Line the tart dough with a sheet of parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Transfer to oven and bake until light brown, about 25 minutes. Remove weights and parchment paper and continue baking until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix together 1 egg and flour on high speed until smooth. Add the remaining 9 eggs and continue mixing until well blended.

5. Place creme fraiche in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth; add milk and continue whisking until well combined. Add to mixer along with salt, pepper, and thyme; mix until well combined. Strain mixture into a large bowl through a fine mesh sieve.

6. Pour mixture into prepared tart shell. Bake 10 minutes, reduce temperature to 325 degrees, and continue baking until filling is slightly firm, rather than liquid, about 35 minutes more. Transfer quiche to a wire rack to cool until set, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. To reheat, cover quiche with aluminum foil and bake in an oven heated to 325 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Shrimp Cocktail

Look for shrimp labeled "flash-frozen" (frozen at sea), which can be purchased in advance and thawed when needed. If you choose to use fresh shrimp from a fishmonger, buy it on the day you plan to use it.

Ingredients

Serves 6 to 8

• 2 pounds large shrimp (16 to 18 count)
• 4 quarts water
• 1 halved lemon
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon salt

Directions

1. Prepare shrimp: Hold each shrimp, leg side up, and peel shell from inside curve, leaving tail intact. To devein, gently run a paring knife along center of outside curve from head to tail, exposing vein. Remove vein; rinse shrimp.
2. Fill a large pot with 4 quarts water; add lemon, bay leaves, and salt. Cover; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes. Return to a boil. Add shrimp. Cook until bright pink and opaque, about 1 minute 45 seconds.
3. Use a slotted spoon to transfer shrimp to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet; cover with ice, and let cool, about 5 minutes. (To store, fill a bowl 3/4 full with ice. Put shrimp in resealable plastic bags. Place atop ice; cover with more ice. Refrigerate up to 1 day, replenishing ice as needed.)
4. To serve, arrange shrimp along rim of an ice-filled bowl (or on a platter) accompanied by lemon slices and cocktail sauce or lemon aioli.

Strawberry Torte

Ingredients

Serves 8 to 10

• Unsalted butter, for pan
• 8 extra-large eggs, room temperature, separated
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
• 2 teaspoons sifted baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, plus more for work towel
• 1 quart strawberries, washed, dried, and hulls removed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and line a rimmed 15-by-10-by-1-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar together until light in color, about 1 minute; stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Add cake flour and baking powder; stir until well combined.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into flour mixture.

4. Pour cake batter in prepared pan and spread evenly with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake until cake springs back when touched, about 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, set 6 strawberries aside for garnish. Thinly slice remaining strawberries. Place heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on medium speed. Slowly add remaining teaspoon vanilla and 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar. Continue beating until soft peaks form. Set half of the whipped cream aside. Gently fold sliced strawberries into remaining half; set aside.

6. Lay a clean kitchen towel flat on a work surface with one of the short ends facing you. Generously sprinkle dish towel with confectioners' sugar. Flip cake onto towel, remove baking sheet, and peel off parchment paper. Using the dish towel, roll cake away from you; let cool.

7. Unroll cake. Evenly spread strawberry whipped-cream mixture over surface of the cake and re-roll. Transfer cake to a serving plate and evenly spread top and sides of cake with reserved whipped cream. Cut reserved whole strawberries in half lengthwise and place on top of cake for garnish.

Hazelnut and Turkey-Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

Serves 8 (makes 24 pieces)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 ounces raw turkey sausage (about 2 links), removed from casing
• 24 medium white button mushrooms (about 1 pound)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped blanched hazelnuts
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons whole-wheat or plain dried breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add sausage and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove stems from mushrooms, trim ends, and finely chop. Add chopped stems, hazelnuts, garlic, shallot, and rosemary to sausage; season with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender, 4 to 6 minutes; transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.
2. To cooled sausage mixture, add egg and breadcrumbs; stir to combine. Place mushroom caps on a large rimmed baking sheet and season cavities with salt and pepper. Stuff caps with sausage mixture, packing tightly.
3. Bake mushrooms until tops are browned and caps are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle with additional rosemary before serving.

Classic Cheeseburger

Ingredients:

Serves 4:

• 2 pounds ground beef, preferably chuck
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 ounces cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 4 hamburger buns
• 2 tomatoes (12 ounces), sliced
• 8 leaves Bibb lettuce (1 small head)
• 1 small red onion, sliced

Directions
1. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium high. Season meat with salt and pepper, mix very lightly, and shape into four patties. Grill hamburgers 4 to 6 minutes per side for rare and 9 to 11 minutes for well done. If making cheeseburgers, lay cheese slices on top of the hamburgers after they have been flipped.

2. Serve immediately on buns (toasted, if desired), topped with tomatoes, lettuce, and onion slices.