Eat First

How to make a pizza with (mostly) made in Central New York ingredients

A recurring item on the menu at The Copper Oven, a seasonal, wood-fired pizza parlor at Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery, in Ovid, is the 26-Mile Pizza. All of the ingredients, including veggies, cheeses and finishing oil, are sourced within 26 miles of the restaurant.

 

I found myself thinking about this pizza after receiving a sampler pack of Greenview Kitchen sauces, a brand owned/made by Giovanni Food Company, of Syracuse. The Greenview line includes an organic pizza sauce.

 

The presence of an Italian-style cheese from the Finger Lakes makes this particular pie more like a 50-Mile Pizza. Let's de-construct the whole thing:

 

Crust: Why bother with making your own dough where there is excellent local dough at the ready? The dough for this pizza came from Columbus Baking Co., Syracuse ($2.50). We also like the pizza dough from DiLauro's Bakery, also on the North Side, at 502 E. Division St.

 

Sauce: We skipped our usual Don Pepino pizza sauce in favor of Greenview Kitchen organic pizza sauce.

 

The sauce has a noticeable sweet taste (organic sugar is the third ingredient on the label) so we added a thin layer of Cheeky Monkey "politely spicy'' tomato-garlic dipping oil to the crust before adding the sauce.

 

(See below for more information on Greenview Kitchen products and locations.)

 

 

Cheese(s): Pizza would be incomplete without mozzarella, right? Farm-fresh, handmade mozzarella from Wake Robin Farm, Jordan, took our pizza to a whole other level. The whole-milk mozz, made from the milk of grass-fed Jersey cows, is ultra-rich. It's made occasionally by Bruce and Meg Schader and sold on Saturdays at the Wake Robin stand in Shed A at the Central New York Regional Market in Syracuse.

 

Bel Ceillo, an Italian-style cheese made by Muranda Cheese Company, Waterloo, added depth of flavor. It's a cross between provolone and Asiago and can be used in place of Parmesan in recipes.

Meat: Two links of Syracuse's own Gianelli Italian sausage, casings removed, browned, crumbled and blotted with paper towels.

 

Extras: Sauteed red onion and red pepper, sliced kalamata olives, Penzeys pizza seasoning.

 

Tips: Less is more when it comes to pizza toppings -- you don't want a soggy bottom. Bake pizza on the low rack of a hot oven (500 degrees) for a short period of time   -- check after 10 minutes.

 

Wine pairing: A local red. Lamoreaux Landing Estate Red (Seneca Lake) was an excellent partner for the pizza.

 

Why local?: Sure, it took a bit of work to gather all the ingredients. But buying local builds community.

 

When we buy fresh mozzarella from Wake Robin Farm, we get to talk to the people who raise the cows, milk the cows and use milk from the cows to make cheese -- and we support a family farm. On a subsequent visit, we get to tell the Schaders about the pizza we made with their fresh mozzarella - and learn more about their creamery and the art of cheesemaking.

 

It's refreshing to know your food and know where it comes from.

 

Note: Look for Greenview Kitchen products at Tops stores, Natur-Tyme in DeWitt, Green Hills Farms, Green Planet Grocery, Nichols Supermarket in Liverpool and other locations. For more information, CLICK HERE.

 

Cheesecake in Central New York - minus the factory

Classic Cherry Mini Cheesecakes; photo courtesy of 83 & Company, Syracuse

Unless you've been hibernating or living under a rock the last few weeks and months, you've probably heard that The Cheesecake Factory, a chain based in Calabasas Hills, CA, is opening a restaurant at Destiny USA in Syracuse.

 

The buzz hype about yet another chain restaurant at the mall got me thinking about local establishments that make fresh, artisan cheesecakes by hand.

 

If you think about it, just about everything you want to eat is available from an independent, locally owned business. When you support a locally owned business, more money stays in the community and the unique flavor of Central New York is preserved.

 

It might sound cheesy, but food made by a local cook or baker, using local ingredients, tastes better, too. And that includes cheesecake, my friends.

 

Here are a few ideas. Is there a place in Central New York you like to go for cheesecake? What's your favorite kind of cheesecake? Let me know in the comments section, below.

83 & Company: This bakery and cafe in the Hawley-Green neighborhood  is all about cakes, cupcakes and mini cheesecake - in a multitude of flavors.  Esther Houston's cheesecake flavors range from Classic Cherry to Banana Pudding to Peach Cobbler to the popular Brownie Caramel Ganache, Oh My! Oh my is right. Daily lunch box specials include soup of the day, sandwich of the day and two mini cheesecakes. A mini cheesecake trio by 83 & Co. is also featured dessert at Laci's Tapas Bar, across the street. Details: 115 Green St., Syracuse; 315-559-5602.

Riley's: The menu at this North Side tavern changes daily and so does the dessert selection. Look for the section of the hand-lettered menu labeled "Brian's desserts.'' Offerings might include a pie, cake, tart, torte and/or cheesecake. The chocolate cheesecake, when they have it, is fabulous. And Riley's is not at all opposed to dessert sharing. Details: 312 Park St., Syracuse; 315-471-7111.

Bittersweet Wine Bar and Desserts: A restaurant where the primary focus is desserts - what's not to like about that? The temptations include a caramel brownie cheesecake - built on a brownie crust. Details: 121 W. Fayette St., Syracuse; 315-474-9463.

Phoebe's Restaurant and Coffee Lounge: Tiramisu, creme brulee, flourless chocolate cake, cheesecake with raspberry sauce and whipped cream. Phoebe's is a Syracuse classic, so it's no surprise the restaurant would offer a classic dessert like cheesecake - with raspberries and whipped cream. Details: 900 E. Genesee St., Syracuse; 315-475-5154.

Photo courtesy of Picasso's

 

Picasso's Pastries and Cafe: You never know what you'll find in the bakery case at this sweet little bakery on Westcott Street in Syracuse. Caramel pecan cinnamon buns. Cannoli cream puffs. Chocolate coffee rum cake. Mini vanilla bean cheesecakes (above) topped with maple balsamic strawberries? Those happened in January. Details: 466 Westcott St., Syracuse; 315-474-1700.

Man in the Moon Bake Shoppe and Cafe: How far would you drive for a most excellent cheesecake? Bestselling cheesecake cupcakes (a k a mini cheesecakes) at this charming bakery and cafe in King Ferry include Classic, Fresh Blueberry and Chambord Raspberry Swirl. Also on the menu: Black Forest, Oreo Explosion, Chocolate Nutella and more. The cafe serves breakfast, lunch and brunch and offers baked goods galore. Definitely worth the drive. Details: 982 State Route 34B and Route 90, King Ferry; 607-227-6863.

 

Valentine's Day tip: Macarons by The Sweet Praxis

Photos Courtesy of The Sweet Praxis

If you've had the good fortune to visit Paris, you've seen macarons -- and maybe even come home with a small box or two of them in your carry-on. They're hard to resist, decked out in a spectrum of colors and piled on plates, calling out from bakery windows.

In Syracuse, at places like the Central New York Regional Market, Cafe Kubal, LoFo in Armory Square and the Syracuse Real Food Co-Op, some lovely, locally made macarons have no doubt caught your eye. They are the signature product of The Sweet Praxis, an artisan bakery launched several years ago Natalie Hansen and Jennifer Walls.

Sweet Praxis macarONS are not to be confused with chunky, chewy American macarOONS, which are made with coconut. Macarons are delicate confections, made with egg whites, sugar and almond flour. You could call them a cookie -- a light-as-a feather cookie -- sandwiched together with  jam, icing or ganache filling.

The beauty of macarons is that they can be made in every flavor imaginable. Hansen and Walls take full advantage of that, offering macarons in flavors like hot chocolate, salted chocolate, almond, raspberry, lemon, orange cardamom, toasted coconut, pistachio -- the possibilities are endless.

The friends also make mini cupcakes and whoopie pies and sell frosting shots at their stand at the Regional Market (in season). All of their products are made with locally sourced organic ingredients whenever possible and with no artificial colors and flavors.

Hansen and Walls are gearing up for Valentine's Day. If you're looking for something out of the ordinary, as a gift to a loved one (or yourself!), consider a gift box of heart-shaped macarons by The Sweet Praxis. And don't wait until the last minute!

For Valentine's Day, Walls and Hansen are taking special orders for heart-shaped macarons in gift boxes ( 6 for $11 or 12 for $20).  Each gift box will contain an  assortment of almond, rose, lemon, salted chocolate, lavender and orange cardamom macarons. They are also offering chocolate raspberry mini cupcakes in gift boxes (two for $5 or six for $10).

Orders must be emailed to [email protected] no later than 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10. Pick-ups are available from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, February 13. Delivery is available in Syracuse for $10.

For more information on the Sweet Praxis, CLICK HERE.