The Wood-Fired Blog
Juicy Lucy Burgers
Jul 05, 2013Claims to the origination of the Juicy Lucy are hotly debated, but we do know the first versions emerged from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and spread around the country from there. And anyway, who really cares? It’s a burger with gooey delicious cheese in the middle. That’s what really matters. I made two versions for this recipe, one plain-old cheese-filled patty, and one with the addition of pickled hot peppers. Let your... Read More
Roast chicken with lemon and thyme
Jun 28, 2013Roast chicken with lemon and thyme is a simple but delightful food that you can make in any season in your wood fired pizza oven. A few ingredients can still make a big taste! Read More
Braised Chicken With Bacon, Fingerling Potatoes and Dried Fruit
Apr 22, 2013This dish was inspired by a random flip through one of the many cookbooks that line a high shelf just outside the kitchen at the restaurant where I work. The (old) book was a survey of regional French cooking, and one of the recipes I stumbled upon was for a dish that combined potatoes, bacon and dried fruit into a kind of gratin or casserole. I decided to adapt those... Read More
Slow-Roasted Duck Breast With Rhubarb-Savory Compote
Jan 09, 2013The bright acidity of rhubarb is a great counterpoint to the meaty richness of duck breast. This is a wonderful dish for the wood oven, because that faint lick of smokiness infused in both the meat and the compote really ties everything together. It’s also very simple, but the depth of flavor will make it seem as if you worked on the dish for hours. Savory is delicious, underused herb... Read More
Braised Beef “au Chasseur”
Jan 09, 2013Don’t let the fancy name fool you – what we’re talking about here is pot roast. I took my inspiration for the flavors in this dish from the classic French sauce chasseur, or hunter sauce, so I thought I’d give credit where it’s due. Sauce chasseur is a hearty amalgam of tomatoes, mushrooms and wine, so I have all those flavors working here, plus a couple more just because. This... Read More
Seared Beef Tenderloin With Black Sheep Cheese and Roasted Tomatoes
Jan 09, 2013This is one of those dishes that isn’t really a dish at all – just a confluence of good ingredients that happened to be at hand, with the end result being something beautiful and delicious. You’ll never really be able to recreate this dish: My tomatoes were grown by a family friend, and my cheese came from a farm that anyone outside of Illinois isn’t going to have access to.... Read More
Baked Chicken with Rice
Dec 31, 2011Baked Chicken with rice is an delicious and easy dish to make in your wood fired pizza oven. Read More
Roast Turkey Breast
Dec 30, 2011Sometime you want turkey and gravy, but don’t want to roast a whole turkey. Try this turkey recipe instead. Use a stainless steel pan to brown the vegetables on the bottom to help make gravy. Read More
