Ev - Posted - 09/03/2011:  05:57:24

I figured I'd start a new thread for last nights pizza bake. I made five pizzas altogether. Two classic Margharitas, two pepperoni and for dessert, one with Fig and Gorgonzola.

The hearth was a little too hot to start and I got a little too much char on the bottom of the first pie, but not enough to ruin it by any means. All these cooked in 60-90 seconds.

Mopick - Posted - 09/03/2011:  06:49:45

I don't know if it would work with that kind of heat / mass, but BConk cools his pizza stone with a wet cloth before he puts the pie on it.

Randy

pandjlocke - Posted - 09/03/2011:  06:54:16

That's a beautiful thing, Ev.

Ev - Posted - 09/03/2011:  07:00:44

After the first pie, I let it cool down to about 850, which I was able to maintain throughout the bake. It only took about 15 minutes to get down after the first pie. The problem was that I started cooking as soon as I shifted the fire to the side. I should have been more patient and let the oven stabilize before loading the first pie.



As for the wet cloth, I used to use a string mop to clear away the ash before cooking. Now I blow it away with a length of copper tubing.

Thanks, Pat!

Edited by - Ev on 09/03/2011 07:02:11

pandjlocke - Posted - 09/03/2011:  07:20:26

Tell me how to make a fig and gorgonzola pizza. Dried or fresh figs? What, if anything, do you use for a sauce? I have Desert King figs on a tree that are coming off this weekend. I'll eat some fresh and dry the rest and I'd love to try that pizza.

peewee - Posted - 09/03/2011:  07:53:47

That looks soooo Good. 

I recently read an article about New York's famous pizza. It said that the best (subjective) pizza is made from ovens burning Coal of all things.  Its said that only 10 coal fired ovens remain in all of NY.  They outlawed them in 1927, but grandfathered the existing ones in.. Just a tidbit.

Brian T - Posted - 09/03/2011:  08:46:10

Cored slices of apple with fresh-chopped Rosemary, crumbled blue cheese and pecans is OK
Cored slices of pear with prosciutto ham, sliced black olives and shredded Gruyere is yummy.
I'll add fig & gorgonzola to my "Non-Takeout" list!

Ev - Posted - 09/03/2011:  08:46:51

quote:

---

Originally posted by pandjlocke

Tell me how to make a fig and gorgonzola pizza. Dried or fresh figs? What, if anything, do you use for a sauce? I have Desert King figs on a tree that are coming off this weekend. I'll eat some fresh and dry the rest and I'd love to try that pizza.

---

I just used a Fig jam as the sauce and crumbled Gorgonzola cheese. The cheese is kind of like bleu cheese only saltier, I guess. The saltiness of the cheese compliments the sweetness of the fig quite nicely.

Ev - Posted - 09/03/2011:  08:49:56

quote:

---

Originally posted by Brian T

Cored slices of apple with fresh-chopped Rosemary, crumbled blue cheese and pecans is OK

Cored slices of pear with prosciutto ham, sliced black olives and shredded Gruyere is yummy.

I'll add fig & gorgonzola to my "Non-Takeout" list!

---

Yeah, i've always been very traditional with my pizza toppings. Now that I make my own, I'm starting to broaden the spectrum of what's acceptable on a pizza.

Ev - Posted - 09/03/2011:  08:53:29

quote:

---

Originally posted by peewee

That looks soooo Good. 

I recently read an article about New York's famous pizza. It said that the best (subjective) pizza is made from ovens burning Coal of all things.  Its said that only 10 coal fired ovens remain in all of NY.  They outlawed them in 1927, but grandfathered the existing ones in.. Just a tidbit.

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I've seen shows on TV about some of those coal-fired pizza shops. Pepes' and Patsys" come to mind, though I think they're both in Connecticut. They're old bakery ovens where the firebox is separated from the cooking chamber.

KE - Posted - 09/03/2011:  08:55:26

To the grocery!  Thanks for the ideas.

Slick Salmon - Posted - 09/03/2011:  09:00:54

A wood-fired pizza is a beautiful thing.  I'm interested in the fact that your dough is as thick as it is.  When I tried it, I found I had to make the dough ultra thin, or the pizza never got properly cooked in the middle before it burned on the bottom.

pandjlocke - Posted - 09/03/2011:  09:04:10

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ev

quote:

---

Originally posted by pandjlocke

Tell me how to make a fig and gorgonzola pizza. Dried or fresh figs? What, if anything, do you use for a sauce? I have Desert King figs on a tree that are coming off this weekend. I'll eat some fresh and dry the rest and I'd love to try that pizza.

---

I just used a Fig jam as the sauce and crumbled Gorgonzola cheese. The cheese is kind of like bleu cheese only saltier, I guess. The saltiness of the cheese compliments the sweetness of the fig quite nicely.

---

Gorgonzola is my favorite bleu cheese. I buy it in 3 lb bags and use it in my salad dressings. I'm thinking that with the fig jam, and gorgonzola, a nice touch would be to lay some 1/4" fresh fig slices on top. Yep, that's what I'm thinkin'.

Brian T - Posted - 09/03/2011:  10:56:14

I was provoked into learning to make my own pizza dough/crust.
Pizza joint: "Hello, XXXX, how may I help you?"
Me:" I'd like to buy some pizza dough (for the recipes above)".
Pizza joint:" Sorry sir, we can't do that unless we cook it first."
Me:"Oh. OK. Thank you, good-bye."

Ev & Paddy: the apple and pear slices need to be 3/8" thick for a 450F oven or they cook down into slop.
Yes. Slices of the black (Mission?) figs would look pretty good.

KE - Posted - 09/03/2011:  11:41:03

What would you use to sauce a pear/gorgonzo/prosc pizza?

pandjlocke - Posted - 09/03/2011:  11:50:14

quote:

---

Originally posted by KE

What would you use to sauce a pear/gorgonzo/prosc pizza?

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See if you can find some pear butter. My wife made some a couple of years back and it was delicious. Would make an excellent base for that pizza. 

Brian T - Posted - 09/03/2011:  12:11:11

First of those (Pear & prosc) I had used Ranch salad dressing with HEAPS of carmelized onions mixed into it.
I use my home-made pizza sauce (tomato paste & herbs) and the carmelized onions.
The apple/blue cheese was just an oiled crust plus shredded Monterey Jack.

These really are refreshing changes from the pizza joint stuff. Load on the blue cheese, much of the smell gets blown off in cooking.

Next time around, I want to cook a great quantity of carmelized onions.
My regular sauce on the crust then sprinkle with shredded cheese,
then a layer of the onions and a bit more cheese. Problem is, my girlfriend/partner/hunting buddy
doesn't do onions very well so I have to make the apple/blue cheese for her.

erikforgod - Posted - 09/03/2011:  12:27:11

this is a very very famous and popular way of cooking pizzas here in Argentina called "Pizza a la piedra" when its cooked that way.

Brian T - Posted - 09/03/2011:  12:30:21

OK Erik, you're on: how else do the Agentines like their pizzas?

KE - Posted - 09/04/2011:  16:27:23

Thanks for the ideas!  We've enjoyed three pizzas -- 1. cheese, fresh tomato, basil 2. fig/gruyere with a fig jam glaze  3. pear, gorgonzola, prosciutto with a pear butter glaze.  Pretty good stuff.  I took the easy way out with Trader Joe's ready made dough and, umm, I did not build a hearth. 

Ev - Posted - 09/04/2011:  16:45:58

Those sound great! I would hope that you'd at least take some pictures though!

MYLO - Posted - 09/07/2011:  21:00:48

I like pizza!

Micki - Posted - 09/07/2011:  22:27:17

 love fresh fruit  pizza. No cook, no mess to clean up.  Micki

Ev - Posted - 09/08/2011:  04:33:40

I've made pizza where I'd use orange marmalade as the sauce, baked with mascarpone cheese and topped after baking with fresh sliced strawberries and blueberries. Sorry, no pictures .