Rustic Beet Pizza

Want to create a rustic bistro vibe for Valentine's day?  

I know that not EVERYBODY is a romantic. So, I want to share this little slice of love with anyone who doesn't have big plans tomorrow. This pizza is about as rustic and easy as it gets, but a little more special. It can be shared with friends, kids, or the love of your life.

Rustic Beet Pizza
Makes 2 heart shaped pink pizzas

Additions:

Dough

1 C lukewarm water
1 pkg dry active yeast
1/3 C beet puree
1 T maple syrup
dash of truffle salt (or sea salt)
2 1/2 C all purpose flour

Beet Sauce

2 C beet puree
4 T orange juice
1 C water
4 T red wine vinegar
1 t onion powder
1 t minced garlic
dash of salt

Toppings

1 log goat cheese, softened
1 small head radicchio, finely chopped
2 C cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 C parsley, chopped
Olive Oil
Parmesan, freshly grated

 Protocol:

1. Beet Puree: Heat Oven to 400 F. Peel approximately 5 beets and place in foil. Cook until soft, approximately 55 minutes. Remove the beets and place in a blender. Add a little water, about 4T, to blend beets into a puree. This can be done ahead of time. 

2. Pizza Dough: Begin the pizza dough by adding water, yeast, salt, and maple sugar in a large bowl. Mix together using a wisk until small bubbles form. Add beet puree and continue to wisk. Slowly add 1/4 C of flour at a time and wisk until dough begins to form. Once dough has formed, use a wooden spoon to continue stirring, adding the flour step by step. If the dough feels VERY sticky, add a bit more flour until you can knead the dough for 1 minute. Cover the bowl with a towel and let rise for 1 hour. The dough is pink and beautiful.

3. Beet Pizza sauce: Add the beet puree, orange juice, water, garlic, onion powder, salt, and red wine vinegar to a small saucepan and cook on low heat, stirring constantly, until all the excess moisture has evaporated, about 15 minutes. 

4. Roll out 1/2 of the pizza dough on a floured surface into a heart shape. Place on a hot grill, about 400 degrees, or in the oven at 400 degrees,if you prefer, on a baking sheet. Cook the dough for about 10 minutes or until it feels like flatbread.

5. Remove from the grill or oven and turn over to place the sauce and toppings on the side that was on the grill or baking sheet. Remember that this recipe is for 2 pizzas, so use half of the sauce and toppings for each pie. First spread goat cheese all over the pizza. Then place sauce on top, tracing the heart shape. Finally, add chopped Radicchio, tomatoes, and fresh parsley. Cover with grated Parmesan cheese.

Yum! The flavors are sweet and earthy and leave a great palate to ease right on in to some dark chocolate to finish up the wine...

Enjoy with a bottle of Mourvedre. This could be from Spain, California, or France. If you aren't familiar with the varietal, ask your local wine shop for some suggestions. Or check out my delectable profile to see what I've been drinking.

Winemaker's Notes: More Mourvedre please! I love that it's earthy and bright. Some of it's descriptors often include plum flesh, gamey notes, and seamlessness. It's deep profile is intriguing, like getting to know someone over candlelight. When I match earthy flavors with this wine, it sings of bright purple plum flesh. The structure is weighted, but quickly transitions to a velvety finish. It's over all rustic charm lends to a down-to-earth (and a little sexy) pairing with these earthy and sweet flavors. 

Cheers!

Mari

Crushed Lemon Bars

Lemon bars are one of my favorite treats with wine. The essence of the citrus complements many wines and is the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and acidity. I was so fired up to make some lemon bars from the Meyer lemons that gracious friends have been gifting me this season. Their aroma is captivating! 

While searching for the right recipe, a dear friend from my college days at UC DAVIS came to visit with a bag full of lemons from her tree in the Napa Valley. 

A great visit with an old friend can leave you completely inspired. We shared down-to-earth ideas about food, travel, and gardening over a few glasses of wine. I accumulated lists of books to read, cookbooks to taste, biodynamic cosmetic companies to find online, and dates for family travel. She is not only a viticulturist, but a master gardener, so I even had a list of things to do to revive my culinary garden from her white fly diagnosis. As I'm writing this, I'm still giggling from a few things we recollected from college. 

Of course she had the best lemon bar recipe in hand. This recipe uses the whole lemon. My kind of recipe! I love to use crushed fruit and get the flavor from the skins-just as I do with my winemaking protocols. I love the richness and texture edible skins contribute.

Crushed Lemon Bars-adapted from David Lebovitz's 

Whole Lemon Bars

Additions:

Shortbread

1 c flour
1/4 c sugar
1/4 t salt
8 T melted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lemon Topper

• 2 small organic Meyer lemons
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 4 t corn starch
• 1/4 t salt
• 3 T melted butter
• powdered sugar for sprinkling

Protocol:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF 

2. Line an 8-inch square pan with foil.  

3. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 8 tablespoons melted butter, and vanilla, until smooth.

4. Smear the batter into the bottom of the pan, using your hands and a small spatula to get it as even as possible.

5. Bake the crust for 25 minutes, or until it’s golden brown.

6. Cut the lemons in half and remove the seeds.

7. Put the lemon in a food processor (or mash with a muddler or back of wooden spoon) then mix with the sugar and lemon juice. In the food processor or blender, add the eggs, corn starch, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 3 tablespoons melted butter, and blend until mixed well. I like to have the consistency as chunky as possible, but we agreed that they are more kid friendly when mostly smooth.

8. Remove the crust from the oven and reduce temperature to 300. Pour the lemon filling over the hot crust (this is key to make sure the topping adheres to the crust) and bake for 25 minutes or just until the filling stops jiggling.

9. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. When cool, carefully lift out the bars using the foil. Cut the bars into small squares or triangles. Sprinkle sifted powdered sugar over the top just before serving. Yum!

Enjoy with a glass of Rose and soak up some of the brightest moments of the winter season-always spent best with great friends. Thanks for the inspiration and the lemons Kendall!