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Creamy Mushroom and Prosciutto Pizza

I have always been a fan of “different” pizzas. When I would order from a pizza shop it would never be a regular “Normal cheese, normal sauce” kind of ordeal. It was always “Light cheese, extra sauce,  toppings, additional sauce on top” or “No cheese, thick sauce, toppings that will sit well in the sauce” order. It must have driven the local chain pizza store insane. (Before you start thinking my taste is awful, I do enjoy a great Italian pizza, and will never make substitutions to ones I order at restaurants. This is simply me being picky about the basically cardboard pizzas you order for $6.99 on a Wednesday night when it’s cold and you don’t want to go outside).

Because of this pickiness with my pizzas, it usually meant I don’t make them myself. Everyone has that one meal or item they don’t make because it’s not worth it to them. Some of my friends only buy their curry out because it’s too much effort at home. Some friends only buy the rotisserie chickens because it’s so much cheaper than buy a raw whole chicken and making it yourself. For me- it’s pizza. That was until I was inspired by the creamy mushroom pizza in Martha Stewart’s Appetizers book. I realized that making pizza didn’t have to be that hard (especially if you cheat like I did and buy ready made dough). I have made some changes to the original recipe, making it more to my liking. Let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

3Tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1 to 1-1/2lb mixed mushrooms (depending on how much mushrooms you want)
1/2 cup pinot grigio
3/4 cup heavy cream (35%)
Pizza dough (store bought)
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp fresh tarragon leaves
Prosciutto (for serving)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 500F with rack in lowest position and a baking sheet (with rim) upside down in the oven.
  2. Melt butter in large pan over medium heat and add shallots cooking until they’re softened (about 3 minutes).
  3. Add mushrooms,salt, pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes or until softened.
  4. Add wine, bring to a boil and cook until evaporated. Add cream and cook until mostly absorbed (about 5 minutes)
  5. Stretch your dough into an oval (about 6″ wide by 18″ long) and place on parchment paper. Brush your dough with 1tbsp olive oil and add the mushroom mixture (leave about a 1/2″ border)
  6. Place your pizzas onto the baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crisp (about 12-14 minutes).
  7. Remove from oven, sprinkle with tarragon and prosciutto and serve!

I hope you enjoyed this- if you did take a picture of your creation and share it with me at @JackDHarding on Instagram!

The Dirty Bird Toronto (Uber Eats) Review

Have you ever been scrolling through Uber Eats trying to decide what to order and you’re wary if something is going to travel well, or if will taste good when it gets to you? There’s been plenty of times I’ve ended up disappointed, so it makes it hard to want to take risks sometimes. Wishing there were more reviews about ordering from certain restaurants on the app (other than the amount of star ratings) I’ve decided to start adding the meals I order on here. Now- I don’t order too frequently, however, when I do, I’ll make sure to update this.

The first review is going to be of a Toronto favorite- The Dirty Bird. With their location in Kensington Market, the restaurant does all that it can to have its ingredients be locally sourced. It also is different than traditional fried chicken in that it is finished with maple dust that gives you a sweeter finish than traditional southern fried chicken which has a punch of heat.

Now, after seeing great pictures of them tagged on their Instagram, and positive reviews from friends and colleagues, I was wondering if something that is supposed to be crispy and hot, would travel well.  I was pleasantly surprised! Here’s what we ordered:

6 Piece #NorthernFried Bone-In Combo (4 Legs, 2 Thighs, Choice of Side Dish): $24.00
Choice of Side: Fries
Additional:  (2x) Waffle with Syrup ($5.00 each)

So how was it? Amazing!

The chicken was breaded to perfection. Being a bit on the saltier side, the maple finish really helped make your tastebuds happy because it’s that classic savoury and sweet combo. The fries were really well done, and travelled pretty well (sometimes they get super soggy and gross) but the boxes that The Dirty Bird uses keep the fries and chicken from getting soggy. And the waffles were what you’d want them to be-buttermilk, fluffy, and delicious.

Make sure to hit up The Dirty Bird on Uber Eats, or head over to their Kensington Market location- you won’t be disappointed