Time for a change

I know, I have not been very good at sticking to my goal, that promise I made to cook well for one. And there's a good reason for that, one that I've just discovered. But first, in my defenense, I must tell you, I'm usually obsessed with sticking to my guns when it comes to my goals. I say this because I don't want you thinking I'm some promise-breaking, flaky, willy-nilly writer, the kind that drags readers along for the ride, tossing them words (or in my case, recipes) of hope here and there, but ultimately never delivering what they've promised to do. 

The evidence: back in high school, I made New Years resolutions in January, then followed those with a trio of daily goals to help me chart the right course (I know, the old me makes the new me naseaus). I've made goals to run two half marathons, and finished them both. And, I once gave up cheese for a month...ok, I only made it halfway on this goal but who can resist good cheese?

So you see, I've stuck with many things. But this pledge I made to cook more creative solo meals doesn't get me excited anymore. And if I'm really being honest, it never did. I started it because I thought a blog needed a gimmick or a niche when really I hate things that fit into tidy little categories. Rather, what I've really wanted to write about all along is good food.

Limiting myself to one niche meant I didn't tell you about the nubbly chocolate cookies I baked to mail to my East Coast cousin or the heavenly lemon buckle my husband would eat daily if I made it. I didn't get to share my discovery of how easy it is to make hard boiled eggs or why those eggs belong in a shockingly good egg-caper-parsley sauce that Jake and I spooned over fish.

But the final straw was this. Withought broadening this site, you wouldn't have heard a whisper about the pizza throwdown we hosted last week. The idea was simple: gather a group of our new friends, have them bring a ball of their best pizza dough and toppings that would wow, then crack open some bottles of wine and get to baking without setting the house on fire.

Four pies, six bottles of wine, many laughs and some dozen false fire alarms later, I put the pizzas to an informal vote in my mind and decided the one that stole the show was John and Louisa's prune pie. Yes prune pie. It sounds a bit old-ladyish but it tastes anything but. It is elegant and incredibly refined, helped along by caramelized onions, bits of bacons and a snowy white drizzle of creme fraiche.

So now you know. Prunes and pizza belong together. This is something you wouldn't have known if I'd skipped the pizza throwdown story and told you about the quinoa salad I had for lunch (yes, again). So, I imagine you'll agree that it's time to switch things up. What you're going to see from here on out is a lot more baking, a smattering of solo meals, and a whole lot of dishes that are meant to be shared.

Winning Prune Pie
We never held a formal vote but I believe this is the pie that trumped the rest - my apologies to the other competitors, whose pizzas were all very good. If you think friends or family will feel skittish about prunes, just take a page from the prune marketing board and renaim this dried plum pizza. It sounds much more inviting, doesn't it?

2 tablespoons butter
1 large Spanish onion
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt
4 thick slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch thick batons
1 ball pizza dough
Flour, for dusting surface
12 prunes, sliced in half lengthwise
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
Creme friache, to drizzle

1. Preheat the oven and pizza stone to 500 degrees.

2. Melt the butter in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the onions, thyme and bay leaf. Cook for 5 minutes, stiring often, until the onions begin to wilt. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stiring occasionally, until the onions have softened and turned a deep, golden brown, about 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaves and transfer onions to a small bowl.

3. Place the bacon in the pan and set over high heat. Cook, stiring occasionally, until brown and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a small bowl.

4. Place the pizza dough on a heavily floured surface and stretch and pull, using your hands or a rolling pin, into about a 14-inch round. Place on a lightly floured pizza peal or rimless baking sheet. Cover with the toppings, being careful not to press on the dough and weigh it down. Lay the caramalized onions down first, then the prunes and the bacon and finally the cheese, leaving a roughly 1/2-inch border.

5. Shake the pizza peel slightly to make sure the dough is not sticking. Carefully slide the pizza onto the baking stone in one quick, forward-and-back motion.

6. Cook until the crust has browned on the bottom and the top is bubbling and browning in spots, about 7 minutes.

7. Remove the pizza from the oven and drizzle with creme fraiche. Serve.

-Adapted from the New York Times