Cream Cheese » The Saucy Coq

Pesto & Red Pepper Jelly Sandwich

My fiancee used to tell me that she didn’t like sandwiches. To me, that’s a bit like not liking drinks or music or recess. There’s got to be some kind of sandwich you can dream up that would get you going. Start with your favorite meal, slap it between two pieces of bread, and call it a night.

I, on the other hand, love sandwiches. I rarely make veggie sandwiches, but this one is a gem. If you do require your daily dose of meat, a decent Ham is the best way to go here.

Pesto & Pepper Jelly Sandwich - Makes 2-3

Your favourite bread, preferably thinly sliced
Heaping spoonful of basil pecan pesto
Cream cheese
Cottage cheese (~8 ounces)
Red pepper or jalapeno jelly
Sprouts (alfalfa or broccoli)
Banana peppers
Salt and pepper to taste

Despite her aversion, Kate made a sandwich like this last year, loosely based on a sandwich from a Montreal restaurant. I’ve made it a bunch of times since then and it’s great every time.

You can use whatever kind of bread you like for this sandwich, but I prefer a thinly sliced bread that is toasted well to contrast the soft texture of the ingredients. While the bread is toasting, fold together the pesto and the cottage cheese. When ready, spread the cream cheese on one slice of toast, the red pepper jelly (available at most large grocery stores near the jars of peppers) on the other and top with pesto-cottage cheese mixture. I finished the sandwich with broccoli sprouts (alfalfa sprouts are great too) and some sliced banana peppers for extra kick.

If you want to take the sandwich to go, you’ll need to make sure the bread/toast doesn’t get soggy. So, use lettuce to line the toast before piling on the rest of the ingredients.

Serve with a good dill pickle and chips to make it a meal.

CURRY SHRIMP PIZZA: A SAUCY SIGNATURE

I do not remember under what circumstances I made this recipe up. It doesn’t sound like it would be as good as it is, but for some reason I tried it once upon a time. I do know that I’ve made a few different incarnations of it in the last couple of years, and they have all been great. I’ve yet to see a similar dish elsewhere, so I’m going to go ahead and call this a signature dish of mine. One of my favorite things about this pizza is that it tastes even better as left overs the next day.

It’s a cold pizza and the sauce is cream cheese, so it may not satisfy your craving for a good old sloppy classic tomato pizza, but I promise you’ll want to make this again. And again. You can use the vegetables I’ve listed below or whichever you think would work. Let me know what you try!

Cold Curry Shrimp Pizza

6 oz cream cheese (3/4 of a package)
1 tsp curry powder

~14 medium sized shrimp
juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 tsp curry powder
tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp olive oil

orange pepper, julienned
red pepper, julienned
broccoli, broken into small florets
red onion, sliced thin
1 clove of garlic, minced

Pizza dough/crust

Fresh cilantro for garnish

First things first, fold together the curry powder and cream cheese. You don’t necessarily need to whip the cream cheese, but you do want a nice smooth soft texture so it’s fluffy and easy to spread later. You can also add a little more or less curry powder to your tastes. Let this rest while you work your magic on the rest of the ingredients.

Next up is the dough. The first several times I made this pizza, I used a store bought, precooked dough. I would typically just brush it with a little olive oil, maybe toss a pinch of salt on there and brown it in the oven for a few minutes. This works great and is definitely the easiest method here. This time, for the first time, I actually bought a ball of freshly made raw dough from Whole Foods to spin myself. Your grocery store may not sell raw dough, but you can try going to a nearby pizzeria. A lot of pizzerias will sell you dough if you ask nicely.

Once your dough is made (or unpackaged), you want to roll out about a 9 inch pie. How much dough you actually use depends on how thick you like the crust. I like a thinner crust for this pizza so I used a ball of dough about the size of my fist. Cook the dough on a pizza pan according to the instructions (or your experience). Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack until ready to use.

In a large non-stick pan, heat a glug of oil over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables and garlic and saute for 6 to 7 minutes, or until the veg is just tender. Remove from heat.

Heat another pan over high heat and add the last tbsp of olive oil. Saute the shrimp until they are just cooked through or pink, about 1 minute per side.

Now you’re ready to assemble the final product! Spread the curry cream cheese evenly over the pizza crust and top with the sauteed vegetables and finally with the shrimp. Tear up a handful of the cilantro leaves and SHAZAM, right there on top.

Cut this fine specimen in to slices and go to work.