Simple and Beautiful

Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread

You can take the long route and make your favorite pizza dough and marinara sauce, or the short route and pick up your favorite pizza dough and red sauce from the store.

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 lbs pizza dough (I used this recipe because it makes enough for two pizza)
• 6 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes (you'll need ~48 pieces)
• 48 slices of Turkey pepperoni (from 1 package)
• 2-3 cups marinara sauce, warmed, for serving 

• Instructions

  1. Heat garlic and butter over medium heat just until the garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat and let sit.
  2. Lightly brush the inside of a bundt pan (or other oven-safe dish) with garlic butter.
  3. Pull off large marble-sized balls of dough and flatten (~2/3 of an ounce, a kitchen scale makes this very easy). Top with a slice of pepperoni and a cube of mozzarella.
  
  4. Wrap the dough around the pepperoni and cheese, pinching well to seal.
  5. Very lightly brush the pizza ball with garlic butter and place into the bundt pan (I dabbed the pizza balls on a butter-dipped silicon brush to keep butter use low - there will be 1+ Tbsp leftover - and my hands butter free. Buttery hands make it hard to get the pizza balls to seal).
  6. Repeat until all of the dough is used.
  7. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes, while preheating the oven to 400.
  8. Bake for ~35 minutes, until the top is very brown.
  9. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes.
  10. Turn out onto a platter and serve with warmed marinara sauce for dipping.

  Notes

  Yields: 48 pieces

Cats

Caramel Apple Parfaits

Cake:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 large egg
1 cup regular yogurt

Preheat oven to 350°. Blend flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and allspice in a bowl and set aside. In a mixer, blend butter with brown sugar and molasses at medium speed until combined. Add in egg and beat till smooth. Add dry ingredients in small batches, alternating with yogurt until all is blended together. Scrape the batter into a large non-stick baking pan and place on the center rack of over. Bake for about 20 minutes or until surface springs back easily to touch. Let cool completely.

Caramel Sauce:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar and water and cook over high heat until sugar dissolves. Stop stirring for about 4 minutes until a deep amber caramel forms. Remove from stove and add heavy cream and cinnamon. Once the caramel cools slightly place back on burner and continue cooking until the sauce is slightly thickened. Pour the caramel into a bowl.

Apples:
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
8 large Fuji or other crisp apples—peeled, cored and thinly sliced (12 cups)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 quart whipped cream

In a skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Add 6 cups apples and stir over high heat until lightly browned. Add half of each of the sugars and continue cooking until the apples become caramelized. Pour into a large bowl and set aside, and finish the remaining ingredients exactly the same way.

Cut the cake into 6 inch squares. Spoon 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce into dessert cups or parfait glasses. Layer 1 tablespoons of apples and 1/2 cup whipped cream to each glass. Layer 2 or three cake squares next. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, ending with caramel sauce and top with whipped cream.

Optional Garnish:
Slice whole apples in 1/8th inch widths and place on parchment paper on a baking sheet – sprinkle lightly with regular sugar and bake for 5 minutes until just softened. Cool and place on top.

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