The Wood-Fired Blog

seared beef tenderloin

Seared Beef Tenderloin With Black Sheep Cheese and Roasted Tomatoes

Jan 09, 2013

This 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

butternut squash

Red Kuri Squash-Brown Butter Puree

Jan 07, 2013

Here’s a quick, easy recipe that’s a perfect addition to any festive holiday meal spread. Feel free to substitute pretty much any winter squash you can get your hands on – butternut, acorn, buttercup, hubbard, sweet dumpling, pumpkin. They’re all complemented wonderfully by the nutty flavor of brown butter. The only variety I would avoid is spaghetti; the texture just won’t be what you’re looking for here. Read More

ricotta gnudi

Ricotta Gnudi With Roasted Cabbage and Marconi Peppers

Nov 05, 2012

  This recipe requires some patience and planning, because the gnudi take three days to make. Before you run for the hills, I should clarify: The gnudi take about 10 minutes to make – they’re really easy – but three days before they’re ready to use. So plan ahead, and your foresightedness will be rewarded. In case you’re asking yourself what in the world a gnudi is, a quick explanation... Read More

wood-oven s'mores

Wood-Oven S’mores

Jun 08, 2012

Summer’s here, school’s out, and the weather’s fine. What better way to celebrate than with a little outdoor dessert-making session? Pretty much everybody knows how to make a s’more, but my one personal complaint about them is that the chocolate never melts. Here I’ve come up with a work-around, replacing the traditional chocolate bar with a rich fudge sauce that I think moves the s’more to an even higher plateau... Read More

Kohlrabi Gratin

Mar 26, 2012

Kohlrabi is a delicious vegetable that is woefully underused here in the United States. A member of the cabbage family, kohlrabi has a sweet, mild flavor that is hard to pin down, but if I had to try I’d say it’s like a cross between broccoli, rutabaga and potato. When I reread that description, it doesn’t sound very good, but please don’t let it scare you away. Give kohlrabi a... Read More

Roasted Carrots With Bacon and Maple Syrup

Mar 15, 2012

Here’s a recipe scientifically formulated to get even the most ardent meat-and-potatoes type to eat their veggies. It worked on my dad, an avowed hater of carrots. So try it yourself and see if you can’t produce some converts. Read More

Cherry Clafoutis

Cherry Clafoutis

Feb 17, 2012

This is a recipe I adapted from the inimitable Julia Child. I honestly don’t know why people don’t make or serve clafoutis more often – it’s one of the easiest desserts imaginable, you can make one with pretty much any fruit you’d care to, and it’s absolutely delicious. Maybe it’s the scary-looking French name. Call it a deep-dish crepe for all I care, just make one for your next dinner... Read More

Pan-Roasted Pike

Pan-Roasted Pike With Sherry-Glazed Mushrooms and Polenta

Feb 06, 2012

You really can’t go wrong here: great fish, deep roasty-toasty mushrooms, rich polenta. Still, I was happy with how this one turned out. Polenta takes on a wonderful smoky flavor when cooked in the oven. I think the walleye pike works well for this dish, but if you can’t find that where you are, substitute barramundi (Asian sea bass) or even halibut. Read More

spinach scallion frittata

Spinach, Scallion and Chevre Frittata with Roasted Pepper Mayo

Jan 23, 2012

I love frittatas. They’re a lot like pizza, that other stalwart of the wood-fired oven: they’re quick, relatively easy, and the flavor combinations are practically endless. Frittatas work great as a simple weeknight meal, but they’re also a good party buffet food, since they’re often served at room temperature. This particular frittata turned out well, but feel free to use this recipe as a jumping-off point for any ingredient-mixing alchemy... Read More

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