When cooking with kids, simple is best. And nothing is simpler than letting a food processor do the work. Buzz up pizza dough in seconds and set aside to rise. Then roll and pre-bake. Let the little ones choose and apply their toppings, and then pop their little pizzas back into the oven to heat. Easy-peasy.
Per serving:
Coat medium-sized bowl with oil.
In food processor, combine flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Pulse a few times to blend. With motor running, add 1 Tbsp (15 mL) olive oil and warm water. Continue processing until dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If too sticky, whirl in a couple more tablespoons flour. Process for 1 more minute. Transfer to prepared bowl, turning dough in bowl to evenly coat. Cover with clean towel and set aside in warm place to rise for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 450 F (230 C) and place one oven rack in bottom third and the other rack in the top third of oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Dust with cornmeal and set aside.
Punch down dough, and divide into 6 equal pieces. Shape each piece into patty; then roll each out on lightly floured surface into 4 in (10 cm) round. Arrange 3 pizza crusts on each prepared baking sheet, taking care that the crusts do not touch.
Lightly brush crusts with olive oil. Slide baking sheets into oven. Bake for 7 minutes, then rotate baking sheets, placing top sheet on bottom rack and vice versa. Continue to bake for another 7 or 8 minutes, until crusts are lightly golden. Remove to racks until slightly cool.
Crusts made with regular flour can be made ahead, covered with clean kitchen cloth, and left out at room temperature for a few hours. When substituting alternative flour, itu2019s best not to pre-bake, as crust is typically crispier.
Tourtière is, for me, the dish that best represents Québec. It can be traced back to the 1600s, and there’s no master recipe; every family has their own twist. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat, like rabbit, pheasant, or moose; that’s one of the reasons why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork. Variation: If you prefer to make single servings, follow our lead at the restaurant, where we make individual tourtières in the form of a dome (pithivier) and fill them with 5 ounces (160 g) of the ground venison mixture. Variation: You can also use a food processor to make the dough. Place the flour, salt, and butter in the food processor and pulse about ten times, until the butter is incorporated—don’t overmix. It should look like wet sand, and a few little pieces of butter here and there is okay. With the motor running, through the feed tube, slowly add ice water until the dough forms a ball—again don’t overmix. Wrap, chill, and roll out as directed above.
My love of artichokes continues with this classic recipe, one of the best ways to eat this interesting, underrated, and strange vegetable. Frozen artichoke hearts are a time-saving substitute, though the flavour and texture of fresh artichokes are, by far, much superior and definitely preferred.
Cervelle de canut is basically the Boursin of France, an herbed fresh farmer’s cheese spread that’s a speciality of Lyon. The name is kind of weird, as it literally means “silk worker’s brain,” named after nineteenth-century Lyonnaise silk workers, who were called canuts. Sadly, the name reflects the low opinion of the people towards these workers. Happily for us, though, it’s delicious—creamy, fragrant, and fresh at the same time. Cervelle de canut is one of my family’s favourite dishes. It’s a great make-ahead appetizer that you can pop out of the fridge once your guests arrive. Use a full-fat cream cheese for the dish, or it will be too runny and less delicious.