the work ladies and i went to Pizza Antica last week for an impromptu dinner... i've had pizza there, and yes it is italian style of thin-crust pizzas, i've never felt they deserve to charge the crazy price they do.
However the items that were really outstanding was the ceasar salad (which i think they chill in the freezer prior to serving - they serve the whole romain leaf with the dressing lightly coated), the gnocchi (which is twice the size of most gnocchi and i think they pan fried it for a crispy, toasty, golden outside), the warm brussels sprouts salad, and the

here are the pictures of my recreation of the warm brussels sprouts salad:

Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad by Chef Gordon Drysdale at Pizza Antica

INGREDIENTS

Vinaigrette
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad
• 1/2 slab bacon (approximately 9 slices of pre-cut bacon)
• 2 Tbsp canola oil, plus 3 Tbsp for salad
• 2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
• 6 slices country-style bread, crusts removed and cut into 1/2" squares
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 large eggs
• 2-3 brussels sprouts (should have about 40 sprouts)
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste


DIRECTIONS

1. To make the vinaigrette, soak the garlic, shallots, and thyme in vinegar for roughly 45 minutes. After soaking, slowly whisk in the oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and reserve covered.

2. Cut bacon into 1/2" squares and cook over low heat until almost crisp; drain off the fat and set aside.

3. Heat 2 Tbsp canola oil until just smoking and cook sliced onions over medium-high heat until golden brown; drain and set aside.

4. Toss cubed bread with extra-virgin olive oil and toast in a 300-degree oven until golden brown and crispy (approximately 20-25 minutes); allow to cool to room temperature and set aside.

5. Cover the eggs with cold water, bring to scald, and let sit in scalding water for 8-9 minutes (be sure the yolk is firm); run cold water over eggs to stop cooking.

6. Peel eggs and cut into 1/8ths; when cut, reserve covered in the refrigerator.

7. Clean the sprouts by removing the first few dark leaves and discarding. Cut off the stem, and separate the leaves one by one. When you get to the light green center and can't pull off the leaves, either slice the heart very thin or reserve for other uses.

8. In a large sauté pan, heat remaining canola oil until almost smoking and add sprouts leaves; toss until wilted (about 3 minutes), season with salt and pepper.

9. Add reserved onions and bacon and warm until hot; when hot, add vinaigrette and toss to distribute.

10. Add croutons and chopped eggs, toss to incorporate, and serve!

I've also added their dessert to the repertoire of my stolen recipes
"Espresso Affogato" - which roughly is espresso over a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Think espresso-milkshake. yuuuummmmy. love it with hagen daze vanilla bean ice cream. if the espresso shot is still hot, you have 'drowned vanilla ice cream' which is yummy. if you want the ice cream to stay more ice cream temperature, let the espresso shot cool first.

a version here but basically, just scoop the ice cream, and pour espresso shot over it. http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1646372

posted at 2009/01/12 1:09 PM by Amy   0 comments

Amy's Balsamic Honey Chicken Wings

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
chicken wings (1lb or more)
italian seasoning
salt & pepper

Wash the chicken wings and pat them dry. Preheat oven at 350 degrees

Mix the vinegar, honey and soy sauce in a small sauce pan. Bring to a soft boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, until thick and coat the back of a spoon. This is the glaze.

Lay wings on a baking sheet. Season wings with Italian seasoning and salt & pepper. Place wings in oven and bake for about 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and
glaze both sides of the wings and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven again and glaze the wings, return to oven for another 10 minutes. Glaze the wings one last time and increase the oven temperature to 350 for 15 more minutes. Total cooking time should be 45-50minutes


so i've decided to revive the food blog... maybe single-handedly if i have to. i've been turning the facebook photos into food journal/blog, so this is the right thing to do...

this is my favorite chicken wings recipe ever... basically i looked up a bunch online, and took the best, mish-mashed them according to what looks good.

Note: be careful waiting for the sauce to simmer, i've boiled over twice and now am stuck with burned electric oven tops.

I've subbed redwine vinegar for balsamic and maple syrup for honey... good in theory but doesn't have the same kick - balsamic is more sour, and the honey makes the sauces a nice consistency to stick to the chicken wings.

posted at 12:58 PM by Amy   1 comments

'December 2006'