Kristen's Recipes

WIW: Savory Mortadella, Garlic, and Caper Puff-Pastry Waffle

Follow the recipe for WIW: Crisp, Flaky, Pepperoni Pizza Puff Pastry Waffles , rolling puff pastry to a 16” square, topping it with mortadella, garlic and capers, then rolling it up and twisting into a spiral.

¼ C. EVOO

1/4 C. loosely packed parsley leaves and tender stems (about 4 sprigs)

5 medium garlic cloves

1 T. capers

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 lb. thinly sliced mortadella or bologna

All-purpose flour, for dusting

1 (1/2-lb.) sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

Preheat a Belgian waffle iron according to manufacturer directions. Combine olive oil, parsley, garlic, and capers and, using a mini food processor or an immersion blender, process into a semi-smooth sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Lightly dust a work surface. Lay out puff pastry sheet, lightly flour top, and roll into an approximate 16- by 16-inch square. Spread garlic sauce on puff pastry, leaving a 1 inch border on all edges. Layer mortadella on top, leaving a 1-inch border on all edges. Roll puff pastry sheet away from you like a jelly roll. When completely rolled, pinch seam to seal. Pinch ends of puff pastry to seal, then coil into a disk-shaped spiral. Place spiral in center of preheated waffle iron. Cook until puff pastry is deep golden brown on all surfaces and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 190 to 200°F, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, cut into wedges, and serve immediately.

WIW: Pizza Margherita with Waffled Crust

4 C. bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 tsp. instant yeast
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ C. lukewarm water
Neutral-flavored oil, such as canola, for coating the bowl
Nonstick cooking spray

3 C. marinara sauce
2 C. shredded mozzarella
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
1 large bunch basil, washed, dried, and finely chopped

In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the water and mix until the dough is shaggy and most of the water has been absorbed. Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured counter and knead until it is just blended but not too smooth. Cover the dough with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Knead the dough until it is fairly smooth, 5 to 10 minutes. Coat a bowl with the oil, add the dough to the bowl, and turn to coat. Let the dough rise in a warm place, covered with plastic wrap, for 2 ½ hours, or until nearly doubled in size. Dust your work surface with more flour. Punch down the dough, divide it into 6 pieces, place the pieces on your work surface, and form each into a smooth ball. Allow the pieces to rest for 5 minutes, covered by a cloth or plastic wrap. When you are ready to waffle, remove the wrap and shape each piece into a disk, pulling gradually on the dough to expand it. If it resists, let it rest for 5 minutes before continuing. Preheat the waffle iron on medium. Coat both sides of the waffle iron grid with nonstick spray. Pull a disk of dough evenly until it’s as thin as possible, roughly circular, and about 8 inches in diameter (but no bigger than your waffle iron). If the dough tears, repair the tear by pushing the dough together and continuing to stretch other parts of the dough. Repeat with each dough disk. Preheat the broiler. Put a disk of dough in the waffle iron and cook about 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the disk from the waffle iron and set it on a baking sheet. Repeat Step 8 with the remaining disks. Top each waffled crust with about 1/2 C. of sauce, 1/3 C. of cheese, and a handful of the tomatoes, if using, and place the baking sheet under the broiler for about 2 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Remove the pizzas from the broiler, sprinkle with basil, and serve warm.