[Note: The sorbet got some fresh photos in 2020.]
I’ve heard so many people say that they don’t understand the purpose of wedding registries. “Can’t we just have the cha-ching?” they ask, “Who needs all that crap?” And I’m here to say, as a person who loves to cook, “I do.” Yes, to the Kitchen Aid. Yes to the carved oak salad bowl set. Yes to the entire Cuisinart family from the Griddler and food processor to the ice cream maker and hand blender. I’m actually going to use all of this stuff, too.
I don’t blame these registry nay-sayers, we’re just different sorts of people. They don’t harbor secret fantasies about Williams-Sonoma stores and an unmonitored personal slush fund; they probably don’t get intoxicated with 6″ cake pans and ceramic pie weights at the Bowery Kitchen Supply; the prospect of a 9-color sugar sanding kit has probably not once ever made their entire week; and I’m sure their higher income bracket daydreams don’t include an entire web page of Kitchen Aid accessories.
Last night was an unintentional homage to our 11-month old and already well-worn wedding loot. Pizza dough was whirled up in the food processor and rolled out onto the pizza stone with piles of onion, dollops of onion marmalade, slivers of sage and bacon and a splash of cream; sharp arugula was tossed with balsamic, olive oil and Dijon mustard in our wooden salad bowl; and strawberries were rinsed and beheaded in Crate and Barrel mesh strainers and ground in the food processor with a whole seeded lemon and sugar and churned in the ice cream maker until dreamy.
I’m not saying that the whole taffeta-and-tuxedoed affair is a necessary prerequisite to such a meal; but between a few kitchen accoutrements with a still-perfect husband of almost one year pouring the wine, I can’t help but feel that I made out like a bandit.
Onion Pizza
Adapted from Lindy’s Toast
1 fresh pizza dough
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Fresh sage leaves (I slivered up about 5 of them)
1 piece of thick-cut bacon, cut into lardons
1 to 2 tablespoons onion marmalade
Salt and pepper to taste
I improvised quite a bit from her recipe, but essentially rolled out the dough fairly thin and put it on a pizza stone sprinkled with cornmeal. I spread the onion all over, dribbled some cream over it, seasoned it with salt and pepper then tossed on the bacon, sage and some globs of onion jam.
I baked it for about 25 minutes at 450, but you will probably need to adjust the time to your own oven.
Strawberry Sorbet
Recipe from The River Cafe Cookbook
1 lemon, seeded and roughly chopped
2 cups granulated sugar
2 pounds strawberries, hulled
Juice of 1 to 2 lemons (I always use 2)
Place the chopped lemon and sugar in a food processor, and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl.
Puree the strawberries in a food processor, and add to the lemon mixture, along with the juice of 1 lemon. Taste and add more juice as desired. The lemon flavor should be intense but should not overpower the strawberries. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn until frozen.
Makes 1 1/2 quarts.
OMG. I so can not wait to get engaged so I can register for all that stuff. Now if I can just find a fiance I’ll be all set!
I recently got married and the only reason why we didn’t register for all of that loot is because we’re 28 and 29 and have had most of that stuff for several years. I just couldn’t justify throwing out all of our “old” stuff for newer, shinier kitchen gadgets. But like you said, to each his own.
Oh, no…they’re totally missing out! I’ve been dreaming of a red Kitchen Aid mixer for years…it’s almost time to register for real! “Sigh”
do you cook the bacon before you put it on the pizza? (asked the proud owner of a new, registered for colbalt Kitchen-aid mixer.)
When I was a little girl, I did not dream of the wedding dress, the husband, or all the flowers…no, I dreamed of Le Creuset.
I hope this tastes as good as it looks and sounds. I’m already salivating. I am divorced and I got “custody” of all the good things – not only my son, but all of the kitchen and cooking supplies – YIPPEE! I raked out like a bandit! I grill my pizzas on a tile on the gas grill – they turn out beautifully!
just wanted to mention that i make pizza at least once a week, and one recipe I read way back when said, turn your oven up as high as it will go and let it preheat at least 1/2 an hour.
i do this every time i make pizza and the results have made my pizza rock out.
wait I left out the important part. I cook most pizzas 8 min. I moved and now I have a fancy oven so I know it is going up to 550. But in my old studio it worked the same, just throw it up as high as it goes, pizza oven can’t be too hot.
Ha! I was just playing around with your site and found this. I am 4 months into my marriage and adore the pasta rollers, the le crusets, the wine fridge, the ice cream maker, the roasting pan, the spring form pans, the silicone baking sheet, I was a happy registerer :)
I made the sorbet for the first time a few weeks ago, and I’ve been running my ice cream maker ragged making batch after batch of it since then. It’s wonderful. The lemon balances out the strawberries beautifully. I’ve been adding ribbons of basil to the mix, which gives it a slightly more complex flavor and counteracts a bit of the sweetness. Thanks for sharing this. My only complaint is that it took me this long to get around to making it.
Deb –
quick question about the sorbet –
do you add the lemon, rind & all? i don’t think i’ve ever “chopped” a lemon before and was trying to visualize how that would work.
thanks mucho, you’re awesome & little jacob is the cutest guy ever. but you already knew that.
tracy
Yup, rind and everything. You just slice it thin enough that you can remove the seeds. It sounds crazy but I swear, this is the most delicious sorbet ever.
Is there any process that you can substitute for an ice cream maker, seeing as I don’t own one? If not, I would LOVE the opportunity to tell husband that we “have” to get one.
Where did you find onion marmalade >_>? I’ve been looking for it for a while and can never manage to find it in my local markets or even Trader Joe’s for that matter
I found it at a Garden of Eden or Whole Foods store in NYC many (well a few) years ago. It’s long since left my fridge (thank goodness) so I don’t know the name of the brand.
It’s been over 10 years since you asked about onion marmalade, but I can recommend Stonewall Kitchen’s roasted garlic and onion jam. I mix it with some cream cheese and spread on focaccia.
Got here searching for strawberry recipes via EatYourBooks. I love how comments keep being added for years after the post…..and still make sense.
Hi Deb- Just a quick question about the bacon in this recipe. Does it go on the pizza uncooked? I’m worried it won’t crisp up enough, but if you can let me know your experience with it that would be great! Love your site!
I think I did put it on the pizza uncooked but if you’re concerned, you can always fry it up before you add it.
Thanks for the feedback! I made the pizza tonight for dinner – to rave reviews! I put the bacon on uncooked and I actually liked that it was part crispy and part soft. And having some of the fat render down with the cream and the onion juices…yum! I love all of your pizza recipes. I’ve made most of them already (part of my life list is to make 100 pizzas)…more recipes would be great!
if i were to make this a boozy sorbet, what should I add to this and how much?? it sounds heavenly!!!
Thank you!!!
Tarte Flambée!!!!
I dream of the day my favorite pizza restaurant would offer this on their menu. Ever since I visited Alsace, France and was spoiled rotten on tarte flambée, I have tried recreating it but I don’t have the right oven. This recipe has to come the closest though! For a more authentic Alsatian version, I replaced the cream with crème fraîche. Definitely worth trying if you ever find yourself in in the area ^_^
Thanks Deb!
Thanks for helpful information on Salad pizza with strawberry sorbet. Now I can make delicious pizzas, burgers like in Krystal restaurant. But I will miss their customer satisfaction Surveys. Take Krystal guest satisfaction survey at their Official site and Win 3 Free Burgers.
Don’t the lemon rinds make the sorbet bitter?
Love the sorbet recipe, You didn’t say whether you took the rind off the lemon or not, and the photo appears like you leave the lemon rind on; could this be? Thanks
Lindy’s Toast, what a treasure! I think she turned me on to MFK Fischer.
Fun memories of the early food blogging days… I’m pretty sure I even made this sorbet way back when. And should do so again.
Who cares about your wedding registry thoughts, you sound like an ungrateful snot.
You sound so unhappy with yourself or your life that you’re trying to hurt others in a twisted way to feel better. I hope things have gotten better for you in the year since you posted this judgmental and name calling comment.
do you think this sorbet recipe can be made with other fruits? ever since that tiktok with the tiny strawberry worms came out i can’t stomach the thought of eating them. i’m thinking blackberries or blueberries. tho maybe lime with the blackberries? also, this would work with frozen fruit, too, right? since it’s not berry season anymore? thx!
I definitely think there is some potential, but I do find that other berries can come out a little icier in sorbets than strawberry. It can still be done, it’s just not what this recipe is optimized for. Blackberries or raspberries would probably get my vote.
I bought this one in 2011 and still use it.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006ONQOC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
I highly recommend it (even if it is a little annoying to have to keep the bowl in the freezer)
Do you have a favorite ice cream machine or what features do you recommend when purchasing one?
Yes I do. So, I had the regular kind with a freezer bowl for years but I splurged a few years ago on a professional one with a compressor and I’m not saying everyone needs this, but I absolutely love it because you don’t need to have a bowl chilled (or space in a freezer for one). At the time, it was on sale a little more than this.
I made the sorbet and loved it. Started with one cup sugar, then one third cup more. That was plenty sweet enough for me. This may have been a function of my farmers market strawberries. The guy running the stand said “I told them not to pick anything with white on top.”
Hi Deb,
Is there a way to make the sorbet if I don’t have an ice cream machine?
Thanks!!
Jess
I was looking through the comments wondering the same thing!
Hi! On the strawberry sorbet, when you say “1 lemon, seeded and roughly chopped”, do you mean peels and all (just not the seeds)?
Nevermind. I just found the answer.
.