Restaurant Review: Caprice Bistro

www.capricebistro.com/

★★★★☆

Location: 10 Market St., Wilmington, NC

When I travel I try to find the unexpected. Restaurants that serve outstanding food at reasonable prices. I was surprised to find this combination in the middle of historic downtown Wilmington North Caroline overlooking the Cape Fear River. Every dish we savored at this authentic French bistro were superb. The spicy cream of mushroom soup was velvety with just the right bite. The chicken stuffed crepes were overloaded with tender chunks of chicken in a delicate cream sauce. The trigger fish, the special of the day, was perfectly spiced and cooked and it sat on a bed of creamy risotto. I could not have asked for a finer meal. You can bet that I’ll be eating there again the next time I’m in Wilmington.

Cuisine: French Bistro

Atmosphere: cozy French countryside

Service: eager to please

Recommended: cream of mushroom soup and the fish of the day

Open: dinner daily

Reservations: accepted

Cost: Entrees average between $14 and $24.

Hazelnut Biscotti Dessert Pizza

Makes 12 serving

Biscotti Ingredients
1 C Husked Toasted Hazelnuts

1 C All-Purpose Flour
1/4 tsp Table Salt

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

8 TBS Unsalted Butter (1 stick), room temperature

1/3 C Sugar

1 Lg Egg

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Parchment Paper

Filling Ingredients

8 oz Mascarpone Cream *

½ C Nutella Hazelnut Chocolate Spread

1 C Powdered Sugar

Optional Toppings

Whipped Cream *

¼ -½ C Husked Toasted Hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and bake them in the oven for 15 minutes or until they get darker. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. After they have cooled place them in a clean dish towel and rub them vigorously to remove as much of the brown skins as you can.

Lower the oven to 325°F.

Place the hazelnuts into a food processor and pulse until you have course bits.

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the butter, egg, vanilla and sugar together until light and smooth making sure you scrape down the sides. Add the flour mixture and turn your mixer on its lowest setting until the flour is incorporated. Beat on medium for an additional 30 seconds. Fold in the chopped hazelnuts until evenly distributed.

Cover a pizza pan with parchment paper. Place the biscotti dough in the center of the pan and spread out to a 12 inch circle using your hands. Make sure you leave a ½ inch lip at the edge to hold the filling.

Bake in the center of your oven for 18 minutes or until firm. Remove from the oven and cool on the pizza pan on a wire rack.

To make the filling place the room temperature mascarpone, Nutella, powdered sugar, and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until smooth.

Pour the filling mixture into the cooled biscotti crust and spread evenly to the edges. Top with ¼ to ½ C chopped toasted shelled hazelnuts. Cool at least one hour in the refrigerator before serving.

At this point you can top with whipped cream if desired. Cut into wedges and serve.

Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts, also called filberts, are one of the favorite nuts for Italian cooks. The best hazelnuts are grown in Lazio, in northern Italy. Hazelnuts are extensively used in desserts to make desserts and biscotti. They are also used in combination with chocolate for chocolate truffles and products such as Nutella. Hazelnut oil is strongly flavored and used as cooking oil or in vinaigrettes’.

* PRONTO SUBSTITUTES

Hazelnuts- If you can’t find hazelnuts you can substitute almonds.

Mascarpone Cream – You can substitute cream cheese.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Hazelnut Biscotti Dessert Pizza

Apache Tacos

Apache Tacos

Makes 8 Tacos

This meal was inspired by an Apache woman from the White River tribe in Arizona.  While on a mission trip  on the White River reservation with a youth group, a local group of Apache women made taco’s for us using a fried flat bread instead of taco shells. The result was amazing. I just use pizza dough for the flat bread and I added my own Italian infusion of flavors that crosses the border.

Italian Salsa *

2 TBS Fresh Parsley (finely chopped)

1 TBS Fresh Basil (finely chopped)

1 tsp Fresh or ½ tsp Dried Oregano

6 Roma Tomatoes (seeded and diced)

1 TBS Onion (diced)

2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil (good quality)

1 ½ tsp White Vinegar

½ tsp Kosher or ¼ tsp table salt

5 grinds Black Pepper

Italian Grilling Spice Rub *

1 TBS Kosher Salt

1 TBS Brown Sugar

20 grinds of Black Pepper

2 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp dried Oregano

Additional Ingredients

1 ½ lb Flank Steak

2 Small Pizza Doughs (buy at your local pizza parlor) *

2 TBS Olive Oil

2 Large Yellow Onions (sliced)

1 C Canola Oil (for frying)

Optional Toppings

Sour Cream

Shredded 4 Cheese Mexican Blend

Guacamole

To make the Italian Salsa, finely chop the fresh herbs. Seed and dice the tomatoes.  Mix with all remaining Italian Salsa ingredients (see photo) and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before using.

Mix the Italian Grilling Spice Rub spices together and coat the flank steak with them.  Coat the steak with cooking spray.  Heat one side of your grill to medium hot and place the steak on this side of the grill for 2 minutes and turn for two more minutes.  Move the steak to the cold side of the grill and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 140°F to 150°F.  Remove from the grill and let it stand for five minutes covered in aluminum foil.

While the steak is grilling, slice the onions and place in a large skillet that has been preheated to medium low with 2 TBS olive oil and cook slowly until they caramelize and turn a golden brown color.  Stir frequently or they will burn. Cut the steak into 1 inch cubes and add it to the caramelized onions.  Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and cover the pan.

Cut a small ball of pizza dough that you bought at your favorite local pizzeria into 4 pieces.  With the heel of your hand shape each piece of dough into a 10 inch round on a floured board.  Repeat with the remaining pizza dough.

Heat 1 cup of canola oil in an electric frying pan set to 350°F  and fry each pizza dough until it just starts to turn the lightest shade of brown (see photo). Drain on paper towels.

Fold the fried pizza dough in half and fill with the meat and onion mixture, Italian salsa, shredded cheese, guacamole, and sour cream. 

PRONTO SUBSTITUTE

Pizza Dough – Pizza has always been considered fast food in the US and I must admit that I’ve had my fair share of home delivery.  What most people don’t realize is that most local pizza parlors will sell you just the pizza dough.  You can use this to make your own pizza at home or you can be creative and make calzones or stromboli.  In this recipe I fried a ¼ of a small pizza dough to make each taco shell, however if you break off and fry smaller pieces of dough and fry them you can make the perennial state fair favorite elephant ears or fried dough.  Just sprinkle the fried dough with powdered sugar or cinnamon and sugar for a treat that everyone will enjoy.

Italian Salsa – Use Bruschetta Topping, Olive Artichoke Salsa, or your favorite salsa.

Italian Grilling Spice Rub – Substitute one package of taco seasoning mix mixed with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Apache tacos

www.nickverna.com

www.italian-fusion.blogspot.com

casaverna@nc.rr.com

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Garlic Butter and Parmesan Cheese

When I was a kid I remember visiting friends of my parents that had a small farm. When we were getting ready to sit down to dinner they went into the field to pick the corn. They immediately put the corn into boiling water. No butter was necessary for this corn. This recipe for grilled corn is the first time since then that I’ve been excited about corn-on-the-cob. These spicy, buttery, salty ears of corn-on-the-cob will kick up your next barbecue and change your expectation on what corn-on-the-cob should taste like.

Ingredients

8 Ears Corn

Garlic Butter (recipe follows)

1/2 C grated Parmesan Cheese

Garlic Butter Ingredients

2 sticks Unsalted Butter (softened)

8 Cloves Garlic (minced)

1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

1 TBS Fresh Basil (chopped) *

¼ tsp Table Salt

5 grinds Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions

Pull back the husks but keep them attached at the base of the cob. Remove the silks and replace the husks on the corn. Soak in a large bowl of cold water for 30 minutes. It’s important that you soak the corn in water to hydrate the husks which allows them to steam the corn. If you think the corn is not sweet you can add ½ cup of sugar to the water.

Preheat grill to medium.

To make the garlic butter place the unsalted butter, minced garlic (use a garlic press), red pepper flakes, chopped basil, salt and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth. Keep at room temperature until ready to use.

Note: This can be prepared up to two weeks in advance if kept refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before spreading on corn.

Remove the corn from the water and pull back the husks. Place 1 tablespoon of the garlic butter on each ear of corn and, using your hand, rub it into the kernels of the entire cob. Replace the husks on the corn. Place the corn on the grill, close the cover, and cook for 15 minutes.

Warning: As the butter melts it will cause flare-ups. Keep a spray bottle with water on hand to douse the flames.

Remove the corn from the grill and remove the husks. Brush additional garlic butter on the ears then sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.

* Pronto Substitute

Fresh Basil – You can substitute 1 teaspoon dried basil.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Grilled Corn-on-the-Cob

Pulled Pork Minestrone

Makes 8 dinner sized servings or 16 first course servings

I went to a graduation party this weekend and the invitation stated that it was a pig picking. Well I just assumed that they would just go to one of the numerous restaurants in the area that make pulled pork and buy it. What to my wondrous eyes did I see when I arrived at the party but a huge smoker with a half of a pig being barbecued. There is no better way to eat pulled pork than straight off of the grill. When I saw all of this meat I wondered what can you do with it besides pulled pork sandwiches. This excess of left over pulled pork inspired this southern style minestrone. It’s a savory cross between a classic Italian minestrone, and the southern classic barbecued pulled pork. 



Pulled Pork Minestrone

Ingredients

2 Small Leeks (sliced)

2 Medium Carrots (diced small)

1 Lg Yellow Onion (diced small)

1 Rib Celery (diced small)

1 Baking Potato (diced medium)

1 Zucchini (diced medium)

3 C Spinach (stemmed & cut into thin strips)

28 oz Can Whole Tomatoes packed in juice

8 C Water

2 tsp Kosher Salt (or 1 tsp Table Salt)

2 TBS Grated Parmesan

1 15 oz Can Cannellini Beans *

1 lb Barbecued Pulled Pork *

2 TBS Basil Pesto *

Ground Black Pepper

Preparation

Thinly slice the white and light green parts of the leeks crosswise (about 3/4 cup), discarding the dark green leaves. Washed them thoroughly after slicing to remove the sand. Cut, dice and rinse the vegetables and place them into a large soup pot with the leeks. Drain and chop the tomatoes and add them with the drained liquid, water, salt, and parmesan to the pot. Bring the pot to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for about 1 hour or until the vegetables are tender.

Pulled pork being prepared on a smoker

Add the cannellini beans and shredded pork, return to a simmer and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the pesto, black pepper and taste to see if it needs any additional salt.

Serve immediately in large bowls with an optional loaf of Italian bread and a bottle of Chianti.

* Pronto Substitutes

Cannellini Beans – if you can’t find cannellini beans you can substitute navy beans.

Pesto – You can make your own or buy premade pesto.

Pulled Pork – can be found in the prepared meat section of many supermarkets.  If you can’t find prepared shredded pork you can barbecue your own (see below) or you can substitute 1 lb of boneless pork chops, diced very small and added with the vegetables at the beginning.

Carolina Style Pulled Pork - Barbecue in North Carolina means smoked pork that is cooked in an indirect method.  You can closely match this dish using your oven.  Start by mixing the rub:

- 4 tsp Paprika

- 2 tsp packed Light Brown Sugar

- ½ tsp Celery Salt

- ½ tsp Garlic salt

- ½ tsp Dry Mustard

- ½ tsp ground Black Pepper

- ½ tsp Onion Powder

- ¼ tsp Table Salt

Spread the rub over 5-6 lb Boston Butt.  Place in a preheated 225°F oven for 10 hours or until it reaches an internal temperature of 195°F. It should be fall-off- the-bone tender.  Shred it using two forks and add it to the soup or add your favorite barbecue sauce and put it on a hamburger bun.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Pulled Pork Minestrone