Hand Tossed Pizza

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Everyone loves a great pizza, and there is nothing better than hot right out of your own oven. When it comes to making any type of pizza, let imagination and the season rule your toppings. I love changing up the pizza according to the season. And if you are up to expanding your hand-tossed style, take the dough to the grill for an added fire-roasted flavor.

mini grape tomatoes, caramelized fennel, onion, sopressata + stilton

Hand Tossed Pizza

Makes four servings 

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Makes enough for 2-3 pizzas 

1 teaspoon active dry yeast 

1/4 cup warm water (between 105 and 115 degrees F) 

1 teaspoon sugar 

3 1/2 cups bread flour 

1/4teaspoon salt 

3/4 cup warm water 

1 Tablespoon olive oil 

In a small bowl, combine the yeast and water. Add the sugar and stir well. Set aside for 10 minutes, or until small bubbles appear on the surface. 

Place 3 cups of the flour in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture and the water. Stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, using the additional 1/2 cup flour if the dough is sticky. 

The dough is sufficiently kneaded when you can stick two fingers into it and it springs back without leaving an indentation. 

Cut the dough into 4 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Let the dough rest in an oiled bowl for 45-60 minutes. Lightly oil the top of each ball with the 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight. 

- Mixing with a mixer & dough hook: Mix for eight minutes at medium speed.

- Mixing with a food processor: process for 40 seconds until smooth, add 1 additional Tablespoon of flour at a time until all of the flour is combined into the dough.

Mix Dough and place in a bowl lightly oiled with olive oil. Cover loosely with a towel or plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator overnight. 

Next day, pre heat oven to 475 degrees F. 

Stretch out dough to a rectangular shape and cut into two pieces. Sprinkle a teaspoon of fine grind corn meal on the surface of a heavy gauge pizza pan or sheet pan. Place the two pieces of dough on the top of corn meal. Brush top lightly with olive oil. 

Add your favorite toppings and cheese. Note: Use cold, not hot sauce.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until pizza crusts are fully baked. You can check for doneness by tapping on the edge of the dough with your finger. It should should hollow. 

Remove from oven, place pizza on cutting board, cut to desired size. 

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Sausage Campagnola, an Old World Tradition

Planning a Gameday or an improv Sunday Supper?  

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The old world tradition of sausage and vegetables makes this rustic country dish ideal for cooking on the grill or stovetop. Cook it today and it will taste even better tomorrow.

 Note: With this country-style dish, you can add seasonal and readily available vegetables such as mushrooms, zucchini, and peeled carrots.

Sausage Campagnola

Makes 4-6 servings

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2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 pound Italian Ring Sausage or 4 links

½ sweet onion, chopped 

6 cloves garlic

1 red bell pepper, cut into small strips

2 small Yukon potatoes, sliced thin

¼ cup dry white wine

pinch red pepper flakes

3 Tablespoons Fresh Basil, torn 

¼ cup pecorino Romano cheese

Preheat a large sauté pan over medium heat.

Add olive oil, and sausage and cook until the sausage has browned. Add onion, garlic, red bell, and Yukon potatoes and cook on low to medium heat until soft and rich golden color and fully cooked. 

Add Kale, red pepper flakes, fresh ground black pepper, and wine, cook 4-5 minutes.

Serve topped with fresh basil and park cheese. 

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as seen on George Hirsch Lifestyle Mousseline Potatoes

Enjoy a lighter version of mashed potatoes by cooking with a flavorful chicken broth and olive oil flavor. Cutting out much of the dairy's heaviness and adding chicken broth makes this do-ahead recipe ideal for weeknight suppers and equally as good for weekend entertaining.

For added flavor, after baking in hot oven finish potato casserole under a hot broiler for a delightful crunch

Mousseline Potatoes

makes 6 servings

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10 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced into small pieces

1 cup chicken broth, hot

4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

6 cloves garlic, chopped fine

3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

4 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Black pepper and Sea salt, to taste

¼ cup fresh chives, chopped

Optional: ¼ cup cooked and finely chopped ham or pancetta

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook the potatoes until very tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate small pot, add garlic to the chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes to infuse the broth's garlic flavor. Optional, strain off the garlic.

Test tenderness of potatoes by slipping the point of a small knife into a potato. The potatoes are done if the knife slips out easily—drain water when potatoes are tender. After draining, return potatoes to the hot pot, add 2 Tablespoons olive oil, ½ cup chicken broth, and mash potatoes by hand or with an electric mixer. Add ¼ cup cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese. Mix in and add 2 more Tablespoons olive oil. Continue to mash until the desired level of smoothness. Add remaining cheese, chives, black pepper, and sea salt to taste.

If preparing potatoes ahead, cool and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat a broiler or oven to 450 degrees F.

Grease an ovenproof 8 x 11 casserole dish with olive oil. Add potatoes and spread out evenly, leaving ridges on top. Top with an additional ¼ cup cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, and 2 Tablespoons olive oil.

Place under broiler and heat until potatoes are bubbly and golden on top. If potatoes were made fresh and hot time will be approximately 3-5 minutes. If prepared ahead and potatoes are cold, bake for 20-25 minutes or until hot and golden on top. 

Serving suggestion:

Upgrade potatoes from a savory side to a satisfying main dish by adding your own twist. Start by pacing seasoned cooked ground beef chili, pulled chicken, or braised vegetables in an ovenproof casserole or ramekin. Top with the prepared potatoes for British style shepherds or cottage pie. Served alongside my Oven Fried Garlic Chicken.

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook the potatoes until very tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate small pot, add garlic to the chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes to infuse the broth's garlic flavor. Optional, strain off the garlic.

Test tenderness of potatoes by slipping the point of a small knife into a potato. The potatoes are done if the knife slips out easily—drain water when potatoes are tender. After draining, return potatoes to the hot pot, add 2 Tablespoons olive oil, ½ cup chicken broth, and mash potatoes by hand or with an electric mixer. Add ¼ cup cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese. Mix in and add 2 more Tablespoons olive oil. Continue to mash until the desired level of smoothness. Add remaining cheese, chives, black pepper, and sea salt to taste.

If preparing potatoes ahead, cool and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat a broiler or oven to 450 degrees F. More Instructions Below

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Grease an ovenproof 8 x 11 casserole dish with olive oil. Add potatoes and spread out evenly, leaving ridges on top. Top with an additional ¼ cup cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, and 2 Tablespoons olive oil.

Place under broiler and heat until potatoes are bubbly and golden on top. If potatoes were made fresh and hot time will be approximately 3-5 minutes. If prepared ahead and potatoes are cold, bake for 20-25 minutes or until hot and golden on top. 

Serving suggestion:

Upgrade potatoes from a savory side to a satisfying main dish by adding your own twist. Start by pacing seasoned cooked ground beef chili, pulled chicken, or braised vegetables in an ovenproof casserole or ramekin. Top with the prepared potatoes for British style shepherds or cottage pie. Served alongside my Oven Fried Garlic Chicken.

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Hot Apple Tart as seen on George Hirsch Lifestyle

Happy Inauguration Day!

As a chef, I've had the honor of cooking for Presidents and heads of state. So what are typical foods served at inaugurations? It can be Lincoln's foie gras, FDR's chicken salad, Jimmy Carter's peanuts, and pretzels, to Reagans Jelly Beans. And, like this past Sunday Supper's menu, a Sweet Potato Casserole was served for FDR. Is there a commonality? Yes, like Madison, ice cream is the one binding menu item that joined them and us all together.

The original legend tells that an apple tarte was made upside down by mistake—and so, I call it a confused apple pie. And the tart is still a tart with or without the e. Believe it or not- tarte tatin is easier to make than apple pie, and could even have higher appeal because it’s served warm. So put your best pastry move on and make it for your guests for dessert, they’ll love the show! 

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Tarte Tatin aka Apple Tart

Makes six servings

 chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

2 large green apples, peeled, cut into quarters, remove the core and cut into 1/2 inch slices

1/2 stick sweet butter

1/4-1/2 cup pure cane granulated sugar depends on tartness of apples

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spread room temperature butter in the bottom of a nine-inch nonstick ovenproof sauté pan. Sprinkle sugar completely over the bottom of the pan. Arrange apple slices on top of the sugar.  Cover apples with puff pastry dough, but do not stretch the dough. Press the dough lightly around the inside rim of the pan. Cut away corners of excess dough so puff pastry fits into the round sauté pan. With the tip of a knife, poke three to four tiny holes in the dough.

On the stovetop, begin to cook the tart on high heat until the dough begins to bubble. This will take about 3-4 minutes. By cooking on the stovetop you are browning the sugars and apples. If the dough bubbles up too high, gently pierce the dough with the tip of a knife to allow excess steam to escape. Once the tart has been cooked on the stovetop, place the tart in the oven for ten to twelve minutes or until the pastry is light brown and fully baked.

Remove tart from oven, allow to set about thirty seconds. CAREFULLY, with a large serving platter place inverted over the tart. With a towel holding the hot pan and another hand on top of the inverted platter, turn the platter right side up and un-mold the tart from the sauté pan. 

Top with powdered sugar. Serve warm with fresh whip cream or ice cream. 

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Best Scones

The best scones are delicate and cake-like with slight crumble. Having filmed many times on the Emerald Aisle, I've had my fair share of perfect scones, offered by the always welcoming Irish people. As a tribute to the Irish I hope you enjoy these scones as much as I have.

Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit!

A scone is a quick bread, but it is unclear of the word's true origin—be it from the Scots, Brits, or Germans. I like the word scone as it may have derived from the Gaelic term "sgonn," meaning a shapeless mass or large mouthful. Scones are usually round in shape, although some are hexagonal as this shape provides for space-efficiency while baking. Other shapes include triangles and squares.

Why Buttermilk? Using buttermilk instead of cream makes for a lighter, more bread-like scone. The scones are baked at a higher oven temperature, which produces a darker, crispier crust. Using Buttermilk will also result in a more tender, creamy texture with a rich buttery taste and a bit of tang, somewhat similar to a good Greek yogurt. TIP: Not to worry if you are plum out of buttermilk; regular milk + vinegar will provide the same results. 

Easily prepared, baked, and enjoyed in under an hour—have a good cup of hot tea and jam with my Irish Scones. 

George's Irish Scones

Makes 8 scones in a 9 inch round pan

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2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) very cold sweet butter, cut into small pieces 

1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons pure cane granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk, *made into buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup raisins, **plumped

1/4 teaspoon white vinegar, for making milk into buttermilk

*Add white vinegar to milk to make the buttermilk. Allow to sit 5 minutes to sour. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add cold butter to the flour and blend in by hand until the butter resembles fine crumbs. Add granulated sugar and mix it into the flour. 

Combine beaten egg, vanilla, and milk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, toss in plumped raisins, and mix by hand until a dough forms. It will take about one minute of kneading until the flour is absorbed. Turn scone dough on to a floured surface. Form in the shape of a ball, do not over knead. With a rolling pin, flatten out dough to one inch thick.

Place the round scone dough into a 9-inch cake pan. With a bench scraper or knife, cut through the dough across four times, dividing into eight equal pieces. Immediately bake for about 16-18 minutes until dough sounds hollow, a sign it is fully baked. 

Serve warm with jam and clotted whip cream. 

TIP: **To plump raisins, add 2 tablespoons of water and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. 

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