Family Pizza Night with Danielle Boerson

Danielle Boerson: Grower of Kids, Animals and Vegetables

Danielle Boerson: Grower of Kids, Animals and Vegetables

About Danielle: Green Lake's Superstar-Organic-Farming-Goddess, Danielle is an earth mother with a brain for business. She and husband, Mat, own Boerson Farm, now entering its 10th season producing local food for our communities.

When you meet her, and start chatting, you think, "Man, this babe is totally ZEN. She must have just gotten a massage or something."

Then you notice she's holding a 75-pound box of potatoes in her arms. 

Danielle first got interested in cooking in high school, when she ran across a recipe for pizza and decided that it would be a fun meal to make for her grandparents. She gathered the ingredients, including some fresh vegetables from a local farm stand, and set to work. 

Says Danielle: "Whether Granny and Gramps truly enjoyed it or were just being polite, they ate it anyway, and for the first time, I experienced the joy of feeding people."

The rest, as they say, is history.

When she's not working her farm or selling at the Market at Town Square and other farm markets, Danielle plays the trumpet in the Ripon College Jazz Ensemble, flies airplanes and likes to bicycle on our beautiful country roads.

Says she: "I also really dig closing my eyes and breathing deeply for at least two minutes at a stretch to quiet and calm my core."

Not sure where she finds those two minutes.

Kitchen Helper Shep Boerson: The dude who actually does all of the work.

Kitchen Helper Shep Boerson: The dude who actually does all of the work.

Do Not Eat Your Computer

Do Not Eat Your Computer

FAMILY PIZZA NIGHT
From the kitchen of Danielle Boerson

You will need:

  • 4 1/2 Cups Unbleached, All-Purpose White Flour

  • 1 Tsp. Salt

  • 4 Tbsp. Olive Oil

  • 2 Pkgs (4 1/2 tsp) Dry Yeast

  • 1 1/2 Cups Warm Water

  • 2 Tsp. Light Brown Sugar

  • Pizza Toppings (see below)

Making the Crust:

  1. Measure 1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees) and stir in 2 tsp. brown sugar. Be sure the water is WARM, not HOT, or it will kill your yeast. Warm water and sugar will activate the yeast.

  2. Dissolve the 2 packages of yeast in the water and set aside for at least 5 minutes.

  3. Sift 4 cups of flour into a large mixing bowl with the salt. Make a depression in the middle of the flour and add 3 Tbsp of olive oil and 1 cup of warm water. When the yeast mixture has risen for 5 minutes, add it to the flour.

  4. Dust the surface on which you will be kneading the dough with flour. Mix all of the ingredients in the bowl with your hands and gather them together. Place on the floured surface.

  5. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes. To knead: push part of it away from you with the heel of one hand, then fold it back towards you. Repeat with the heel of the other hand; then rotate the dough 1/4 turn and repeat. Add more flour to the surface (it will become incorporated into the dough) if the mixture is too wet or too sticky. Eventually, the dough will become elastic and will stay together in a cohesive ball.

  6. Rub a clean bowl with olive oil and place the kneaded dough in it. Moisten the top of the dough with oil as well. Place a clean dish towel over the bowl and put it in a warm, draft-free place to rise. The oven is a perfect place to let the dough rise, as the pilot light generates a little warmth, and there are no drafts to disturb the dough.

  7. When dough has risen for 1 1/2 hours, remove it and place it again on the floured surface. You are now ready to roll out the dough for the pizza. 

Making Thin Crust Pizza:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

  2. Divide the dough into 2 equal balls. With your hand, flatten each ball into a circle. Put flour on a board and on your rolling pin. 

  3. Roll the circle flat until it is somewhat larger than your pizza pan. You will probably have to sprinkle flour on the dough from time to time to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin. Rotate the dough occasionally as you roll it out. You should also lift the dough up carefully at least once, place more flour on surface, and turn the dough over to roll the other side.

  4. When the dough has been rolled out, sprinkle a little cornmeal on your pizza pan and life the dough carefully so You can slip the pan under it.

  5. If using a pizza stone, put it in the oven for 3-5 minutes ahead of time to warm it up.

  6. The dough should hang over the edge of the pan all around. Use a knife to cut around the edge of the pan/stone and roll the dough up into a slight rim to hold the sauce and cheese.

  7. Brush the surface of the dough with olive oil, and pre-bake the crust int he preheated oven for maximum of 5 minutes.

  8. Pull crust out, spread tomato sauce over entire surface,and add most of the cheese followed by the toppings. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan.

  9. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling.

Pizza Toppings:

(Just about anything goes, but these are a few of Danielle's favorites,
including some from her farm) 

  • Marinara (home-canned rocks)

  • Mozzarella, diced into small cubes

  • Parmesan, finely grated*

  • Pepperoni**

  • Shallots, sliced into thin rings (small onions are okay, too)

  • Black or Green Olives, sliced into rings

When Available:

  • Fresh Arugula Leaves

  • Italian Sausage

  • Fresh Sliced Mushrooms

  • Green Pepper Sliced into Thin Rings

  • Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

*Danielle loves Sartori cheese, and advises never buy pre-grated parmesan because anti-caking agents are added
**Danielle recommends Boar's Head from Crossroads Market, and you can cut to your desired thickness

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