Pinkberry and New York City Pizza: Cafe Daniello's

During our trip to Philly and New York City, there were some things that we put on our absolutely-must-try list. Philly Cheesesteaks? Check. New York City pizza? Oh, yes.


Since my boyfriend is all about pizza, he took care of looking up reviews ahead of time and decided that we should visit Cafe Daniello's. We wanted a place that was known for amazing New York-style pizza but still offered the pizza in slices, since we knew we wouldn't want an entire pizza to ourselves (okay, we might want one, but knew we shouldn't order one). Daniello's sounded like it would fit the bill.

We walked to Daniello's from the Rockefeller Center, after a visit to Magnolia Bakery for some sugary cupcakes (more on that in a later post). On the way, I got distracted by a Pinkberry store and couldn't help but stop in for some pineapple-strawberry original Pinkberry. It's like frozen yogurt but different, and somehow, better. It's a little more tart and has this hint of a different flavour to it that I can't place. I had heard it was addictive, though, and I can definitely see why. It was seriously tasty.


So after eating a cupcake and then loading up on fruity frozen yogurt, you'd think my appetite would be gone, right? Well, it wasn't, and good thing, because Daniello's slices are big.

Of course, it's hard to tell, because they were so delicious that we greedily wolfed half of them down before realizing that -- oops! -- we forgot to take a picture. My apologies for the half-eaten pizza slices.


My boyfriend stuck to chicken pizza while I tried a favourite of mine, Pizza Margherita (slices of big bocconcini, fresh tomatoes, and basil). Both of our pizzas were delicious, and we were particularly taken by the crust. It was thin, crispy, and very flavourful. It tasted quite a bit like olive oil, to me, which is I think what made it so beautifully browned and flavourful.

Cafe Daniello's pizza is a must-eat. Although we didn't take advantage of the deal, when we visited you could get two huge slices of cheese pizza and a pop for $5. If you manage to get the same deal, it's a serious bargain. Our two big "gourmet" slices and a bottle of iced tea came to $11 after taxes, but were worth every penny.

Cafe Daniello's Pizzeria
1072 2nd Ave
New York, NY

Cremini Mushroom and Blue Cheese Flatbread with Truffled Cream Cheese

This summer, my boyfriend ventured to Italy for two weeks with his family to visit landmarks from his maternal heritage. And upon his return, he made sure to spoil me with some culinary souvenirs. Like truffles! Lots and lots of truffles.


I have never had pure truffles before - just heard about their loveliness, and tasted enough truffled honey to realize that I like the flavour. So owning 3 jars of truffles and 1 jar of truffle oil feels like winning the lottery.


Now, what to make with truffles? First up: Cremini Mushroom and Blue Cheese Flatbread with Truffled Cream Cheese.


If you don't have truffles, the cream cheese would be just as good with some thyme leaves mixed in. Garlic and herb cream cheese would be yummy, too.


Because of the truffles, this recipe might sound complicated, but it's actually really easy. Spread cream cheese on raw, rolled out pizza dough, scatter sauteed mushrooms on top, and sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese. Bake, and you're done. Keep reading for the recipe.


Cremini Mushroom and Blue Cheese Flatbread with Truffled Cream Cheese

Makes 1 flatbread

1/2 batch of standard pizza dough recipe (I used this recipe)
1/2 brick plain cream cheese (or garlic and herb cream cheese)
1/2 a truffle, or a sprinkle of fresh or dried thyme
1 (220g) package pre-sliced cremini mushrooms
White wine
1/2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 oz. blue cheese, crumbled

The night before you make the flatbread, grate truffles (or sprinkle thyme) into cream cheese.

When ready to assemble, preheat oven to 450 degrees (or according to your recipe's directions). Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they release their juices and brown, approximately 10 minutes. Add a splash of white wine and continue cooking until it has evaporated. Remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Roll pizza dough into a long, thin rectangle and place on baking sheet. Spread cream cheese on dough, leaving a thin edge for a crust (a graduated spatula works perfectly for this step). Sprinkle mushrooms in top of dough and cream cheese, and finally, sprinkle with blue cheese. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or according to your recipe's directions.

Cut into slices or squares and serve.

Prosciutto and Bocconcini Pizza with Fresh Tomato Pizza Sauce

If there's one thing I often come back to when I'm not sure what to make for dinner, it's pizza. I like to keep my favourite dough (which is supposed to be handmade, but I cheat and make it with my mixer) in the freezer and thaw it the night before I'm ready to use it. I love that it's relatively healthy (if you add veggies, of course) and that you have greater possibilities than if you ordered it from a pizza place.

Like Prosciutto and Bocconcini Pizza with Fresh Tomato Pizza Sauce - I really don't think you can get that delivered.


The prosciutto and bocconcini are no-muss, no-fuss ingredients. You don't have to cook the meat or shred any cheese; just thinly sliced the meat and sprinkle the pearls of cheese on top. It gives you more time to do something a little special with the pizza sauce.

I take fresh tomatoes, peel and seed them, and then cook them over medium heat with some olive oil and seasonings until they're cooked. From there, I either puree them or take the mixture as-is and spread it on the rolled out pizza dough.


My boyfriend, who was in Italy for two weeks this summer, said it tasted just like the pizza he had there. I've never had real Italian pizza, but I can tell you that this pizza is tasty. It's like a gourmet twist on pepperoni and cheese.

Keep reading for the full recipe.

Prosciutto and Bocconcini Pizza with Fresh Tomato Pizza Sauce
Serves 4

Tomato Sauce
2 large tomatoes
Olive oil
Oregano
Salt and pepper

Prepare an ice bath by placing ice in a bowl and covering it with cold water. Meanwhile, bring some water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Place tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds, then remove and place in the ice bath for a few seconds. The tomato skins will now be extremely easy to slip off. Once the tomatoes are skinned, take out their seeds by gently squeezing on them. The seeds will squeeze right out.

Dice tomatoes and place in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add a splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sprinkle dried oregano to the mixture to taste. Cook until the tomatoes are cooked and reduced. Puree if desired.

Pizza
1 batch pizza dough of your choice (click here for the recipe I use)
1 tub pearl size bocconcini
3-4 slices of prosciutto, chopped
Diced tomato (optional)
Dried oregano
Freshly grated black pepper
Corn meal

Preheat oven to 425F. Sprinkle a bit of corn meal onto a greased baking sheet. Alternatively, you could use a pizza stone. Roll out pizza dough until quite thin. Spread tomato sauce on dough, leaving a 1cm gap which will form the crust. Next, sprinkle prosciutto and tomato, if desired, on top of sauce. Next, add bocconcini pearls to your liking. Scatter dried oregano on top, and finish with a grating of fresh black pepper. Bake pizza in preheated oven for 8-12 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and dough is cooked.

Pear and Goat Cheese Pizza with Lavender Rose Wine Jelly

This recipe was my attempt to re-create the amazing Pear and Goat Cheese Pizza With Lavender Rosé-Gamay Glaze I had at the Wineries of Niagara on the Lake's Wine and Herb Festival. This is my second attempt, and I have to say, it turned out perfectly. It was much more successful than my previous attempt -- that time, I spread the the lavender-rosé jelly on top of the toppings before cooking, and the sugary jelly turned part of the crust into a burnt mess. Yuck.


I don't know how useful this is for those who didn't attend the wine and herb festival or who don't have access to lavender jelly, but I thought I'd post it anyway for any attendees who may stumble upon it via a Google search, or for others to drool over. If you do happen to find some lavender jelly in your travels, give this a shot. It would also be good with plain old rosé wine jelly, which should be a little easier to find.




So, here's the recipe. I sort of cheated by using a pre-made pizza crust. I do normally make my own crust, but I had one to use up from the weekend. And it did make the recipe come together in about 20 minutes.

Pear and Goat Cheese Pizza with Lavender Gamay-Rosé Wine Jelly
Serves 4
1 pre-made pizza crust, or your favourite pizza dough recipe, rolled out to make one pizza
1 Bosc pear, thinly sliced (I used a mandoline)
About 3/4 cup of goat cheese (or to taste)
1/2 cup lavender rosé jelly, or just rosé jelly, microwaved for about 15 seconds in order to slightly melt it, with 2 tbsp reserved

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, or according to the directions given for your pizza dough recipe. Brush a pre-rolled or pre-bought pizza dough with all but the 2 reserved tbsp. of jelly. Arrange pear slices on top. Crumble goat cheese on top, about 3/4 of a cup, or to taste. I happen to like a lot of goat cheese.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or according to your pizza dough recipe's instructions. Both the goat cheese and the crust should be slightly browned. Serve immediately.