My Pie Monday: Asparagus, Scalloped Potatoes, and an Easter Special 4/19/2011

MPM this week on Slice!

Slideshow of MPM  http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/04/my-pie-monday-asparagus-scalloped-potatoes-and-an-easter-special-slideshow.html

My MPM:  Norma's NJ Boardwalk Pizza: "I made another attempt for a Mack's NJ Boardwalk pizza this week. The pie almost tasted like Mack's pizza. Mack's pizza has been my favorite pizza since I was young. I used another formula for this pizza and it tasted like the crust of a Mack's pizza. I used a five cheese blend for the cheese on this pizza."—Norma427

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/04/my-pie-monday-asparagus-scalloped-potatoes-and-an-easter-special-slideshow.html#show-154313

My friends Steve’s Pie on MPM.  http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/04/my-pie-monday-asparagus-scalloped-potatoes-and-an-easter-special-slideshow.html#show-154311

Norma

New Kitten and my dough and Pizza making 4/18/2011

Since my dog found the newborn kittens, my time making dough and also making pizza has slowed down a bit.  I am still making experimental doughs and my preferment dough and doing a few other experiments, but I never realized how hard it is to take care of a new born kitten that was left to die outside, by a stray cat.  Taking care of a newborn kitten is very time consuming, considering it needs fed around the clock, it needs its bottom cleaned, bedding changed and washed, sterilized bottles all the time, and making formula around the clock.  It is also rewarding though, to be able to see how much the kitten grows each day and learns new things, just like babies do.  I know I have lost a lot of sleep though this process, but wouldn’t change things anything I have done so far.

Raising a new born kitten is something like learning to make dough or pizza.  Something new is learned each day.  Hopefully Chance will live longer than Lucky did.  Chance has more than doubled his weight in the almost 3 weeks since he was born and left outside in the cold.  I thought she was dead when my daughter and I tried to warm her.  Chance can now stand on all of her four legs and walk some that way.  Her eyes are opened now.

I look forward to learning more about pizza dough and also learning how to take care of a newborn kitten.

Four new dough experiments this week also have kept me busy, but they will also help me learn more about dough.

A few pictures of Chance a few days ago.  To think just a few weeks ago, I never thought I would be taking care of a newborn baby kitten..lol

Norma

Another Attempt at a Mack’s Pizza 4/12/2011

Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket insisted on going along to market today.  Usually they don’t want to help me with any work, but they are anxious to see how the next attempt at a Mack’s pizza will be.  The dough ball today looks something like a Mack’s dough, but I have no idea how the dough ball will handle when opening the dough ball into a skin ,and then baking it into the pizza.  Hopefully it will be able to spin in the air.  I am trying out 5 kinds of cheese on the attempt.  The cheeses are two kinds of white sharp cheedar, Fontina, and two kinds of mozarella, with the white cheddars being the predominate cheese.

At least I remembered to take my bigger peel along to market today.

Pictures of the dough ball today and Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket helping at market.
I was happy today, that this attempt for Mack’s pizza was the best I have done so far.   The crust reminded me more of Mack’s crust and even the whole pizza, more than any I have tried so far in this thread. The taste of the crust was really good and even had the same texture as a Mack’s crust, at least in my opinion.  The dough performed well, and could be tossed many times. Steve took two videos of me tossing the dough, and after I look at them, if they are okay, I will upload them on Youtube.  The dough ball looked just like a dough ball sitting at Mack’s.  I let the dough ball warm-up for two hours and as can be seen on the top and bottom of the dough ball, it looks something like Mack’s dough balls. Even the crust coloration was about the same as Mack’s.  The crust was foldable and had the right crispness.

Even the blend of cheeses almost tasted like Mack’s cheese, after being baked on the pizza. I had other people sample the Mack’s attempt and they asked me if I am going to continue making this kind of pizza. That is how much they liked it.

Thanks Peter, for pointing me in the right directions to get the results I had today, on this Mack’s attempt. :)  I don’t know what kind of award I can give you, but I am grateful for getting the results I did today.  

Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket were jumping for joy when they saw this pizza.   Steve really enjoyed this pizza too.  Steve had brought me two bottles of his home brewed pale ale to take home to try today, but after this pizza turned out so well, we broke open a bottle and celebrated.

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,9068.msg134887.html#msg134887

YouTube videos of my throwing the dough..lol  I am not good at throwing the dough!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmHThrrEjYA

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o300i_cWtCA


Norma

Adventures with a Homemade Dough Conditioner or “blend” 4/12/2011

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,13385.0.html

The first two pictures are of the dough ball  top and bottom with the blend in the Lehmann dough.  The second two pictures are of the regular Lehmann dough ball top and bottom.  The first set of pictures after those four, are of the Lehmann dough with the blend steps and final pizza.  Then the next set of pictures are the regular Lehmann dough steps and final  pizza

The dough balls looked about the same (the one with the blend fermented differently on the bottom of the dough ball) and both had a bubble on the top of the dough balls, but the dough ball with the blend didn’t rise as much.  Although neither pizza had good oven spring, the pizza made with the blend tasted better in the crust.  I can’t explain how it tasted different, but there was a better flavor in the crust.  Both pizzas were crisp on the rim and bottom.  It can be seen in the picture of the bottom of the crust with the blend, it looked like kinda warts on the bottom.  That didn’t detract from the taste of the crust.  Steve also agreed that the pizza made with the blend was better.  Both pizzas reminded Steve and me of regular Lehmann dough pizzas.

More blend Lehmann doughs experiments to follow, unless I find a blend that works.

Norma

“Real New York Frozen Dough Balls”..from Brooklyn, NY 4/16/2010

I was at the grocery store a little while ago and am always looking for something pizza related.  I found these “Real New York Dough” balls, from Brooklyn, NY.  There are two in a pack.  From what I understand they don’t have any preservatives in them and are supposed to be all natural, unlike most frozen dough balls.  I bought them and might try at market on Tuesday to make one of them into a pizza.  I wonder if there is anyone else that has tried these “Real New York Dough” balls from Brooklyn, NY.

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,13592.0.html

Norma

My Pan Flatbread Pizza 4/03/2011

I was at the local grocery store when and saw these Kontos Pan Plano Flatbreads and thought they looked interesting and decided to use one of the flatbreads to make a pizza to see what the crust would taste like.  The crust was very tasty in my opinion.  This was a quick way to make pizza.  If anyone is interested, these are the Nutrition Facts and ingredients for the Sweet Onion Pan Plano Flatbread I used for the pizza pictured in my last post.  http://www.foodfacts.com/food/Pita%20Bread/Kontons%20Pan%20Plano%20Sweet%20Onion%20Flatbread/48116

The Kontos Pan Plano Flatbreads do come in other flavors.  This is the company that makes the Sweet Onion Flatbreads I used for the pizza.  http://www.kontos.com/Pages/about_us.html
and the flavors of flatbreads that Kontos offers.  http://208.64.161.54/kontos/Pages/products_flatbread.lasso?markets=retail

I know this forum is based almost all on home pizza making, but if in a pinch for time or not wanting to make your own dough, I would rate these as very good.  I know I cheated when I made this pizza, because I didn’t make my own dough, but the flatbread I used to make the pizza, had a better flavor in the crust than some other doughs I have made homemade.

Picture of the Sweet Onion Flatbreads I used.
I made a pan flatbread pizza 4/03/2011.  The dressings were regular tomato sauce, Polly O mozzarella, Franks’ hot sauce chicken, and salsa.  The rim was somewhat crispy and the crust was somewhat soft.  Overall I enjoyed this pan flatbread pizza.

Norma

Adventures in gardening and growing tomatoes started 3/17/2010

I had asked forum members on pizzamaking.com where to find seeds for tomatoes and perennials.

If you are interested this is the thread about my adventures in gardening with pictures, this is the link.

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,10535.0.html

Norma