Pizza with Pecorino, Arugula & Tomatoes

INGREDIENTS

Serves 1

Olive oil, for baking sheet and for serving (optional for serving)
1 cup grape tomatoes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 individual pizza shells from 1 pound Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough, fresh or frozen
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
3 cups baby arugula
3 ounces shaved Pecorino Romano cheese
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Turn a large baking sheet upside down; rub with oil. Using your hands, crush tomatoes into a pulp in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.

Spread crushed tomatoes on pizza shells; sprinkle with red-pepper flakes. Bake until crusts are golden, 18 to 20 minutes.

In a bowl, toss arugula with Pecorino; top pizzas with salad. Drizzle with vinegar and, if desired, oil.

Cheesecake with Raspberry

INGREDIENTS

Makes 32

1 1/2 cups finely ground graham crackers (about 12)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups plus 5 tablespoons sugar
1 container (6 ounces) fresh raspberries
2 pounds (four 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, room temperature
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Stir together crackers, butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar; press 1 tablespoon into bottom of each cup. Bake until set and beginning to color at edges, about 10 minutes. Transfer tins to rack to cool.

Puree raspberries in a food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Press through a fine sieve; discard solids. Whisk in 2 tablespoons sugar.

With mixer on medium-high, beat cream cheese until fluffy. On low, add remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar in a slow stream. Mix in salt and vanilla until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined after each (do not overmix) and scraping bowl.

Spoon 3 tablespoons filling over crust in each cup. Drop two dots of raspberry puree about 1 inch apart in cupcake. Drag the tip of a toothpick or wooden skewer down through centers of dots to create a heart.

To bake, set tins in oven in roasting pans filled halfway with hot water; bake until set, about 34 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer tins to racks to cool completely. Refrigerate in tins, uncovered, at least 4 hours; remove from tins. Refrigerate in air-tight containers up to 5 days.

IRISH BEEF STOUT STEW

INGREDIENTS

Serves 10

4 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste

2 1/2 pounds new potatoes, scrubbed

2 medium onions, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium beef broth

1 can (14.9 ounces) Irish stout beer

10 garlic cloves, sliced

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 boxes (10 ounces each) frozen baby peas, thawed

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, toss beef with flour; stir in tomato paste. Add potatoes, onions, broth, beer, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cover, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Transfer pot to oven, and cook, covered, until meat is fork-tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Stir in peas, and season with salt and pepper.

Cheddar-Topped Shepherd's Pie

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds baking potatoes (about 4), peeled and thinly sliced

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil, such as safflower

6 medium carrots, halved lengthwise, quartered if large, and thinly sliced

6 celery stalks, thinly sliced

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 pounds ground beef chuck

1 cup whole milk

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar (6 ounces)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450.

Place potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover by 1 inch with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high. Add carrots, celery, onion, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add beef; cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup water; bring to a boil, and simmer 1 minute. Set beef filling aside.

Drain potatoes; return to pan. Cook over medium, stirring, until liquid has evaporated and a thin film covers bottom of pan, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; add milk and 1 cup cheese. Mash until smooth; season cheddar-potato topping with salt and pepper.

Pour beef filling into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Drop dollops of topping over filling; spread to edges with a spatula. Using a fork, make decorative peaks; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until topping is browned and filling is bubbling rapidly, about 20 minutes (if topping and filling were chilled, increase to 35 minutes). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Up-Side-Down Peach Cake

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1-1/2 to 2 cups sliced, pitted and peeled peaches

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Place 1/4 cup butter in an 8x8x2-inch baking pan. Warm in a 350 degrees F oven about 5 minutes or until butter is melted. (Be sure to watch carefully to avoid overbrowning the butter). Remove pan from oven. Add brown sugar, stirring until sugar is completely moistened. Spread sugar mixture evenly in pan. Arrange peach slices evenly over brown sugar mixture. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in granulated sugar until well combined. Add egg and vanilla, beating until combined. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk to beaten butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Spread batter evenly over the peaches in the pan.

3. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Loosen cake from sides of pan; invert onto a large serving plate. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes more. Serve warm. Makes 8 servings.