Luca's Amazing Nutella Pizza

It's pretty well known that I am a big Nutella freak. Anywhere, anytime if Nutella is involved, I'm there.  So when my friend Erica told me that Luca's, the new pizza place in Stow, has Nutella pizza on the menu I knew I had to have it.  And Erica knew I had to have it so she invited me and the man over for dessert and coffee.  Dessert being this very Nutella pizza!   Oh yes, I couldn't wait!

Thinking about it before having it, I wondered what the crust would be like.  I've had dessert pizza's before and they usually use a sugar or shortbread type of cookie as the crust.  But this pizzeria is New York style so I wondered, would they use their regular pizza crust for it?  Maybe with a little sugar added to the dough?   Hmmm the possibilities were intriguing. 

My first look at the pizza made my mouth water.  It was the regular pizza dough, very thin and lightly baked.  I didn't detect any sugar added, and it wasn't needed at all.  After it's baked, it's slathered with Nutella.  For me, that would be enough but Luca's upped the ante by adding some fresh strawberries and bananas and then the pièce de résistance... chopped hazelnuts. 

The pizza was huge!  The dough did not have a hint of brown on it, but it was done enough.  It had a really nice chew to it.  This is not a knife and fork dessert, you have to pick this baby up.  And you're going to want to anyway.  It's irresistible!  If you're a NY style pizza folder, then have it.  You can easily fold this slice.  The Nutella, as always is fabulous.  It's not hot, it's served cold or room temperature.  Although, warm with melty Nutella sounds pretty damn good too... hmmm, I might have to try it that way!  The chopped hazelnuts added the perfect crunchy contrast to the soft fruit, smooth Nutella and chewy crust.

It's simple, but delicious.  I haven't had the opportunity (yet) to try anything else at Luca's, but if this is any indication of the goodness they are putting out, then I won't be disappointed when I do.  And if you find yourself at Luca's for some pizza or a calzone, or something else, make sure you save room for some Nutella pizza!  

Buon Cibo mia Amici

O.M.G. Nutella Crepes!

After a morning of shopping at the Howe Meadow Farmer's Market my friend Lynn and I decided to go get some breakfast. We decided to try the Golden Goose on the corner of Broad Blvd. and State Rd. in Cuyahoga Falls.

In the seven years that I've lived in Akron, that restaurant has been several things. It was Leipply's when we first moved here, then it became Chuck and Diane's, and now it's back in the Leipply family and called the Golden Goose. And most recently they've added a bakery to the establishment.

On this particular morning we were just looking for a good cup of coffee and a something to eat. Little did I know that this German owned restaurant would be offering one of my favorite things as part of the daily specials... Nutella crepes! And I didn't even see the specials board but Lynn mentioned it while we were looking over the menu. Game over... that's what I'm having! Lynn decided to get it too. For $3.95 you get one crepe, which was perfect. One crepe with Nutella filling, strawberries and bananas on top and a little whipped cream and powdered sugar.

I have one word to describe it... heavenly! OK, two words, heavenly delicious! *sigh* It was perfect. The crepe was tasty, the filling...well come on, it's Nutella for goodness sakes! And the fruit was a perfect compliment. And the cream balanced it all out. It was not too sweet for breakfast and was just enough quantity. Perfect with a nice cup of coffee. Yum.

Remember though, if you decide to go to the Goose to give this a try, it was a special and might not always be available.

The Easiest Thing You'll Ever Make - Nutella Ravioli

Seriously. I mean it. It's a total no brainer. You need no skills, no special equipment, no degree in culinary arts. All you need is a pan with some oil in it (about 2 inches, vegetable oil).



A sheet pan lined with plastic wrap.


A package of won ton wrappers, an egg, and some Nutella. What? You don't know what Nutella is? Well let me tell you. It was created in the late 40's by an Italian fella named Pietro Ferrero. He lived in the Piedmont region of Italy where hazelnuts are grown. Pietro owned a bakery and originally sold Nutella in blocks but a few years later, he turned it into a spread. It's chocolatey and hazelnutty and just plain delicious on anything. You can usually find it on the peanut butter aisle. Buy it. You won't be sorry. And then you can make Nutella Ravioli! I buy mine in the big BJ's Warehouse Club econo jug.

So you need to heat your oil, probably to about 350. Get your won ton wrappers and your Nutella ready. Make your egg wash.... one egg beaten with about a Tablespoon of water.




On your work surface, whatever that may be... a board, a counter, whatever, lay out one won ton wrapper and brush the edges with egg wash.




The flour is already on the won ton wrapper. I didn't add it.

Drop a dollop (about a teaspoonful or so) in the middle of the wrapper.



Fold it over into a triangle and press along the edges to seal it. You can even crimp with a fork to seal it even more if you like. Then as you make them, line them up on the sheet pan lined with plastic wrap. When you get the tray filled or you've made as many as you want to make, check your oil temp (or not... I don't have a thermometer to check this temp so I just winged it, when I started to put the ravioli in the oil, if it sizzled and immediately started to fry, it was hot enough, but you don't want it too hot to burn the won tons either, so just be aware of what your oil is doing) and start the fryin!




I put no more than four in the pan at a time. If you crowd the pan, the temperature drops too much and then the ravioli's will end up too greasy. After about 20-30 seconds, flip the ravioli goodness over and continue cooking the other side. You're looking for a nice golden brown color.



Only one of them had a little accident and got a hold in it, spilling melty Nutella into the oil. It didn't matter, it was near the end anyway.



Once they are all done, you can sprinkle them with powdered sugar if you like, but we don't really go for that. We just had them straight up!





Make sure you serve them while they are still warm/hot and nice and oozy melty.


You can make these a day ahead and then reheat them in a low (250) oven. I'd probably wrap them in foil if I was doing that so they don't get too crispy crunchy. You can make a bunch and keep them in a low oven for serving later. But I doubt you'll be able to do that. Once you eat one, the rest will follow!