After-Work Gourmet by Lisa Messinger

TV cooking series star and cookbook author Curtis Stone — also the regularly featured chef on Internet provider AOL's Food channel — isn't known for doubling up. His hundreds of published recipes are all unique. However, while seeking meal ideas at AOL Food in between reading my e-mails, web surfing and Instant Messaging my work colleagues, I recently appreciatively noticed a trait of Stone's that's a blessing for busy home chefs; it inspired me to look for other such treasures.

While Stone was writing recipes with well-matched and balanced components, he was also aiding time-crunched cooks who want shorter grocery lists, less time in supermarkets and quicker meal preparations. His creations deliciously repeat key ingredients.

An innovative and healthful pizza with mozzarella and cherry tomatoes makes multiple usages of olive oil, parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves. He puts a lot of basil in a homemade pine nut pesto that's spread over the pizza instead of tomato sauce, as well as sprinkling more of the uncooked plant over the top just before serving. His blueberry pancakes with compote use the berries in both the hotcakes and the compote, as well as doubling up the sweet use of sugar in each.

When I realized how easy this technique made Stone's recipes, I began scouring for others in books, online and on TV cooking series that also abide by that golden rule. More importantly, though, I imported the technique into my own kitchen. When I now toss together new creations, I pull out just a few ingredients from my pantry and find tempting ways to use them twice. For example, with herbs and vegetables, I use both chopped in salads and pureed in fresh dressings. When cooking meat as my main course, I also grind it up and add to my sauce. And with chocolate candies, I dot them atop my cookies before baking and food-process them into a smooth frosting for an extra special touch.

PESTO PIZZA WITH CHERRY TOMATOES

12 cherry tomatoes with stems

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 1/2 bunches fresh basil leaves (about 1 1/2 cups lightly packed)

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

All-purpose flour (for dusting)

2 balls 8-ounce pizza dough (store-bought)

6 ounces buffalo mozzarella cheese

4 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Yields 4 servings.

Place a large baking stone on the bottom shelf in the oven and position the second shelf in the upper third of the oven. Then preheat the oven to 475 F. Heating the baking stone well in advance will allow enough time for it to become very hot before baking the pizzas on it. Baking on the very hot stone will create pizzas with crisp crusts.

Lay the tomatoes on a nonreactive baking sheet and drizzle lightly with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Carefully set the baking sheet on the second shelf in the oven and roast the tomatoes in the oven until they are tender and begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and set aside.

To prepare pesto: Using a large mortar and pestle, smash the garlic into a coarse puree. Add 1 1/2 bunches of the basil and pound until it is coarsely chopped. Add the pine nuts and smash to break them up. Mix in 1/3 cup of the parmesan cheese.

Slowly mix in 1/3 cup of the olive oil. Season the pesto to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

To prepare pizzas: Lightly dust the work surface with flour and press 1 ball of dough on the work surface into a circle. Continue to press and pull the dough into a thin irregularly shaped disk that is about 10 inches in diameter. Be careful not to overwork the gluten in the flour by over-kneading it.

Lay a silicone-baking mat on a pizza paddle then lay the pizza dough on the mat.

Spread 1/4 cup of the pesto sauce in a thin layer over the pizza dough leaving a half-inch border around the edge. Reserve any extra pesto sauce, tightly covered in refrigerator, for additional use.

Arrange half of the roasted tomatoes over the pizza. Tear the mozzarella into long stringy pieces and scatter half of them over the pizza. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the parmesan cheese over the pizza.

Immediately carefully slide the pizza (still on the baking mat) off of the paddle and onto the hot baking stone in the oven.

Bake the pizza for about 12 minutes, or until the bottom is crisp and deep golden brown and the cheese has melted and become pale golden on top.

Using the pizza paddle, carefully remove the pizza (still on the baking mat) from the stone then slide the pizza off of the mat and onto a cutting board.

Scatter half of the basil leaves over the pizza. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Using a pizza wheel or large sharp knife, cut the pizza into pieces and serve.

Repeat to make a second pizza. After the second pizza has finished baking, turn the oven off and leave the baking stone in the oven to cool slowly.

BLUEBERRY PANCAKES WITH BLUEBERRY COMPOTE

Compote:

18 ounces fresh blueberries

1/3 cup sugar

Zest of 1 lemon, and 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

1/4 bunch fresh mint (leaves only), roughly chopped

Pancakes:

1 cup fresh ricotta

4 large eggs (separated)

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 pinch salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, as needed for cooking

Creme fraiche, for serving

To prepare compote: Place the 18 ounces of blueberries, 1/3 cup sugar, lemon juice and the zest in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes, or until the sugar melts and berries soften just slightly.

Don't let the berries cook too long or they will become mushy and lose their shape.

Remove from the heat. Gently stir in the chopped mint.

To prepare pancakes: Whisk the ricotta and egg yolks together (reserving the egg whites) in a large bowl to combine, then whisk in the buttermilk.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the ricotta mixture. Stir with a whisk just until combined.

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl until stiff peaks form.

Using a large silicone spatula, gently fold the egg whites through the batter in 2 batches.

Gently fold the 1/2 cup blueberries into the batter.

To cook the hotcakes: Melt some butter on a hot griddle pan over medium-low heat. Working in batches, ladle the batter onto the griddle.

Cook the hotcakes about 3 minutes per side or until the hotcakes' puff become golden brown and are just cooked through.

To serve: Transfer the hotcakes to plates. Spoon the warm blueberry compote over the hotcakes. Top with a dollop of creme fraiche.

— Both recipes from Chef Curtis Stone for AOL Food

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." She also writes the Creators News Service "Cooks' Books" column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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