On Friday, April 19th, the Wood Stone test kitchen was host to cookbook author and chef Suzanne Husseini and restaurateurs Nipun Sharma and Aladdin Khasawneh. Using a dual burner Bistro 4343, the trio produced all manner of Arabian breads, as well as other specialties from Suzanne’s new book Modern Flavors of Arabia. It was a wonderful chance to see the diversity of cuisines that lend themselves to stone hearth cooking in front of an open flame.
To get yourself a copy of Husseini’s book click here!
4 whole pork loins were recently prepared in our test kitchen for a Rebound of Whatcom County dinner. Smoked to perfection, this pork looked AMAZING! We just had to share.
Needed:
3 Lbs Mesquite Charcoal
1.5 lbs Apple Wood Chunks, 8 oz ea, water-soaked at least one day
Serves 5
This roast emerges from our ovens tender and moist and the sweetness of the molasses marinade makes for a tri tip that melts in your mouth.
Ingredients
1 ea. 2 -3-lb. tri tip roast
3 Tbsp. Garlic Ginger Purée
3 Tbsp. molasses
2 oz. butcher cracked black pepper
Method Oven Temperature: 570-600 degrees
Rub the tri tip roast with Garlic Ginger Puree. Allow the tri tip to rest for 30 minutes.
Coat the roast with molasses, massaging the molasses into the roast, then rub the entire surface with cracked black pepper.
Wrap the roast tightly in saran wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
Before cooking, remove the roast from the refrigerator and temper for 1 hour.
In a hot cast iron skillet or sizzle pan, roast the tri tip in the finishing zone for about 15 minutes, rotating once halfway through the cooking
process. When you remove the roast from the oven, the internal temperature should register at least 125 degrees (medium rare).
Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes before carving.
A warm basket of scones is always a welcome sight on a Saturday morning! What better way to make these age-old treats than to bake them in a stone hearth oven?
Ingredients
21⁄2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
4 oz. butter
3⁄4 cup currants
3⁄4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
Method
Oven Temperature: 380-400 degrees
Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Flame Height: 3
Melt the butter in a saucepan just inside the doorway of the oven.
Add the currants and sugar to the butter and stir. Slowly stir in the milk.
Move the saucepan to center of oven and bring to a boil.
Once the mixture begins to boil, move pan back to the doorway and let cook for 2 minutes.
Pour butter mixture into the flour mixture and quickly stir to combine.
While the mixture is still hot, drop the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet in 1⁄3 cup measurements.
Flame Height: 1
Bake in doorway until lightly browned, about 8 minutes, rotating cookie sheet after 4 minutes.
Looking for something special to serve your mom on her special day? Our Chocolate Gourmandize warm out of the oven will make any mother’s day! A delicate chocolate cake with a decadent chocolate lava interior, we think Chocolate Gourmandize is divine with a fresh raspberry sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
4 oz. quality dark chocolate
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 ea. eggs
1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
2⁄3 cup sugar
Method
Oven Temperature: 550-570 degrees
In a small saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate just inside the door of the oven, being careful not to burn the butter.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Mix in the flour and sugar with the eggs until the mixture is just blended enough to be fully incorporated.
Slowly fold in the melted chocolate and butter into the flour mixture. Stir gently to mix.
Pour approximately 4-oz. of the mixture into four 6-ounce oven-safe ceramic dishes, and place just inside the doorway, away from the flame. Cook for approximately 8 minutes, or until the mixture begins to pull away from the container slightly around the edges but still has a little wiggle at the top. If the mixture sets completely, it will be overdone.
Remove the containers from the oven and allow the dessert to cool just slightly. The dessert is extremely hot inside.
Gently run a sharp knife around the edge of the bowls to loosen the mixture. Turn the bowl over onto a serving plate. It should release easily.
Garnish the dessert with raspberry sauce, ice cream, or whipped cream.
At a recent Standards of Excellence event in California, Chef Ann Rudorf “wow’d” the crowd (which included Chef Rachell Boucher) with her Pizza with Minted Fava Beans & Pecorino Romano. Rachell was kind enough to share her thoughts on both Ann’s amazing pizza recipe and our Wood Stone Residential Ovens on her blog post, Drawn to the Kitchen, Mobile Hearth and via a video interview with Ann you can check out below. Thanks for sharing, Rachell!
Our twist on traditional tapenade uses mayonnaise to soften its flavor. When we serve breads, crackers, and vegetables in our test kitchen, we always include a small bowl of this tapenade as an accompaniment. If there happens to be a bit left the next day, the remainder makes a great savory spread for grilled sandwiches.
Makes 1 ea. 10-12-in.pizza Named for Italy’s beloved Queen Margherita di Savoia, this tomato, basil, and mozzarella pizza was created in 1889 by pizzaioli Raffaele Esposito of Naples. With colors that commemorated the Italian flag, Margherita Pizza set the standard for pizza across the globe and successfully established Naples as the pizza capitol of the world. Here we share two versions of the Margherita pizza, Popular and Traditional….
2 oz. fresh mozzarella (we suggest Grande brand), cut into 1/4-in. cubes
4-5 ea. basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
Method
Oven Temperature: 570-600 degrees
Flour both sides of the dough ball and gently open the ball by hand to the desired thickness. Generally a 10-oz. dough ball will make a 10-12-in. pizza.
Ladle the sauce in the center of the pizza shell. Use the bottom of the ladle to spread the sauce outward in a spiral to within a 1⁄2-in. of the edge of the shell.
Place the mozzarella pieces evenly over the pizza, up to within 1⁄4-in. of the shell’s edge.
Transfer the pizza onto a large peel and land it in the raw landing zone of the oven. Once the pizza begins to color nicely on the side closest to the flame, rotate it 180-degrees and move it one pizza length closer to the flame, into the finishing zone.
Once the side closest to the flame colors, and the top and bottom color of the pizza is balanced, remove the pizza from the oven using a large peel. Transfer the pizza to a cooling screen for about 1 minute and garnish with basil, then move it to a pizza board and slice into pieces. Total bake time will be about 4 minutes.
Traditional
For the recipe and full story about cooking a traditional margherita pizza, visit our ”Cooking Naples Style” page.
For more information on cooking with a Wood Stone oven, see these two important videos:
Cast iron cookware is a work horse in the Wood Stone oven for everything from searing to deep-frying. Lodge has a signature line of seasoned cast iron tableware we like and the oval mini-server makes for a fun baked egg presentation at the table.
Asparagus and Leeks Equipment: The Josper by Wood Stone Charcoal Broiler Oven
Serves 4-6 as side
A classic vegetable combination that exemplifies the difference that the Josper brings to simple preparations.
Ingredients
12 medium to thick asparagus spears
2-3 large leeks, greens trimmed off
eggplant jus- see recipe
sea salt to taste
extra virgin olive oil
Method
Place asparagus in a shallow pan, just cover with water, add a teaspoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt, and place in the Josper. Blanch this way until barely tender—about 4 minutes. Pull the asparagus and place in ice water to stop the cooking process. Once stopped you can pull the asparagus out of the water.
At the same time, you can place the leeks in the oven, directly on the grates and roast them, completely charring the outside, for about 9-11 minutes. Turn them as necessary during this time. When cool enough to handle, peel the charred outer layers off. You should have tender, almost translucent leek inside.
The previous directions are prep that can be done in advance of service.
To pick this up for an order, place leeks and asparagus on the lower grate of the Josper and cook to mark and warm through.
To plate as tapas, slice the leeks crosswise into 1 ½ inch lengths, put three on a plate and drape the asparagus over it. Finish with a little sea salt and eggplant jus (see recipe).
While new to many in our market, the Josper by Wood Stone Charcoal Broiler Oven has a long culinary tradition. Beginning over 40 years ago in Spain the Josper has been a part of more than 9,000 restaurants across Europe. Today, Wood Stone and Josper have partnered to bring the flavor of this oven to North America. http://www.woodstone-corp.com/products-josper.htm
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