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The Food Lab's Complete Guide to Dry-Aging Beef at Home

Great job. Awesome post.

Top This: The Salad Pizza (à la Grey Block Pizza)

@TXCraig1, never met a salad pizza that didn't make me frown, but I'd gladly eat yours. Recipe plz!

Grilled MILKimcheeze Sandwich from 'The Kimchi Cookbook'

I'd drain the kimchi to begin with and cook the kimchi with butter for a couple of minutes before proceeding to top the sandwich.

Paulie Gee to Open a Baltimore Location with 'Pizzablogger'

Nicoletta: What Michael White is Really After

Biggest load of crap White ever put out. The biggest and probably the only load of crap Slice ever put out.

Video: Ask Nancy Silverton, Week 3

I'd like to express my gratitude to the folks at SE and Nancy.
Ditto, John W.
It does make sense. With addition of wheat germ, home bakers could expedite fermentation and the dough would less delicate, but more workable and forgiving. Nancy's pizzaioli take extra caution when shaping a round which could be difficult for less-experienced pizza makers.
I also heard a rumor of other grains in the mix such as buckwheat and I wanted to know if there's any truth in that.

My Pie Monday: Bird's Nest Pizza, Pulled Pork, RAMPS(!) and Much More!

A question for @TXCraig1: Were they fresh asparagus? or did you blanch them?

Daily Slice: The Sausage Factory, San Francisco

Good hearty sausage goes a long way, but perhaps not enough to offset the thick doughy crust?

Video: Ask Nancy Silverton, Part I

One pizza master crediting another, awesome! Everyone saw the crumb structure on the bianca, right? What a beaut.

Ask Nancy Silverton!

In Mozza cookbook, you offer pizza dough recipe altered and suited for home ovens. How does this recipe differ from the La Brea Bakery dough recipe?

Pizza Obsessives: Craig Lindberg and His Neapolitan Garage

Best PO interview ever. Hats off to both gentlemen.

Daily Slice: The Brass Monkey at Little Star Pizza, San Francisco

Never seen a deep dish worth another look, but that thing looks... well constructed. Is it David's photo/photoshop skillz or does it really look tasty?

San Francisco's Mobile Pizza Truck Population Doubles

Caleb, you've been through good parts of summer manning the oven at full blast. What was it like?

Watch 'Pizza Boomerang.' There Simply Are No Words to Describe This. No Words, My Friends

First Look: 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria, Los Angeles

@JPET, you are.
Bartleby: You have to keep reading.

Video: Why Di Fara Costs $5 a Slice

Bravo, John. Very well said. Jeffrey Steingarten couldn't have said it better.

First Look: 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria, Los Angeles

Pies look VERY promising. Can it be? Can it be that we have a great neapolitan place other than Antica? Location marked. Good job, Kelly.

Video: Why Di Fara Costs $5 a Slice

Why Di Fara Costs $5 a Slice? Becuz mindless idiots line up every night.
Now, what the man's been doing for god knows how many years is admirable. He does serve as a model for craftmanship or artisanship if you will. BUT, that's not enough to justify 5 dollar slices especially in today's economy. Now, we've ALL had better pizza than Dom's; mostly for less than half the price he charges, and NONE of 'em anywhere near 5 bucks a slice. Ya know I think it's a smart move that his son opened a shop at the airport where they apparently have no idea what the prices are like outside. It'll make a perfect home for 5 dollar slices.

My Pie Monday: Baby Cheese, Pepitas, Bacon, and Much More!

@jimmyg, it's so unfair... that one man can...
@everyone, all very impressive pies. Happy new year to us all.

My Pie Monday: Sardines, Wood Stove Pizza, Focaccia Pie, and More!

@Crysaldragon, very handsome za ya got there.
And once again, hats off to Norma

Di Fara: Rant and Response

I'd like to see Lady Slice rebut Adam's rebuttal.

My Pie Monday: Pumpkin, Welfleet Clams, Tuna and More!

@Andrew Janjigian
By "Motorino clam sauce recipe", are you refering to AK's description of "the compound parsley butter melted atop the pizza lends moisture to the pie, with rivulets of the stuff dripping off ..." or do you mean an actual detailed, weighed-out recipe?

Great Pizzaiolo-Themed Pumpkin

Ditto. Hats off to Scott.

Does anyone know who the artist is for this vid?

@Chris Hansen
Googling eventually lead to her website and some of her vids, but can't know for sure. She certainly seems capable. Thanks.

Ed's Cosmic Pizza Blab: Cheese

Properly seasoning a pie? Sure. Is mozz to do the job? No
I don't mean to patronize pizza gurus like Ed and Adam, but mozz IS stretched fresh cheese intended to be consumed for mild milky taste and creamy texture, not for saltiness.
You want your pie seasoned, rock(salt) it. Or, by way of cheese, sprinkle Romano. Whatever you do, leave my fresh mozz alone.

Naples, Camorra and the food we eat

Fellow Slice'rs, I'd like to introduce a video I found on YouTube. It's a documentary film produced by BBC2 that aired in July 2011.
For the most part, it is about how the camorra is destroying the Naples with drugs, homicides, extortion, corruption, etc by following the lives of two ladies who lead the fight against them. There is a couple of spots where it might be of particular interest to us as consumers of what we trust to be fine neapolitan goods.
As a slice'r I found it alarming when the prosecutor lady mentions the camorra's migration to legitimate business sectors such as mozzarella production. The video also includes testimonies of local farmers who believe that the soil and water supply are contaminated by camorra's toxic waste dumping overlooked by politicians, and goes on to claim that crops, livestock, and even human lives have been lost.

Here's BBC's description of the film and the link to the vid.
The Camorra, the Naples mafia, is Italy's bloodiest organised crime syndicate. It has killed thousands and despite suffering many setbacks is as strong as ever. It is into drug trafficking, racketeering, business, politics, toxic waste and even the garbage disposal industry. Naples's recent waste crisis was in part blamed on the crime syndicate. Its grip on the city is far reaching.
Talking to Camorra insiders who have never spoken to the media before, and drawing on interviews with Camorra victims who are fighting back, reporter Mark Franchetti investigates Italy's deadliest mafia to learn how it has survived so long in a country at the heart of Europe and what it will take to defeat it.

Homemade custard based ice cream with blender?

If anyone's ever made custard-based ice cream, or 'frozen custard', you'll know what I'm talking about. The whole.... scald-the-cream-in-sauce-pan-then-pour-just-a-portion-of-it-into-the-egg-mixture-and-then-back-into-cream-and-stew-over-again routine. Cream is heated to cook at the same rate as the yolks and the whole mixture is heated again to... make custard I presume? Way too time-consuming, not to mention requires constant stiring and attention.
Is this altogether necessary? Well, what if you were after the eggy, yolky flavor in your ice cream but not so much custardy texture? Assuming pasteurized eggs are used, why not just blend away the egg yolks & sugar while pouring scalded cream in a thin stream much like blender hollandaise? You could scald the cream in a microwave oven which renders use of sauce pan and stove obsolete. You also won't to chisel away at burnt milk solids along the side of your pan. The whole process shouldn't take any more than 5 minutes? Would it make a huge difference in final texture?
Please share your thoughts.

Harvesting lactobacilli in yogurt to cultivate sourdough?

Hello.
Lactobacilli. They're the little guys producing the pleasantly fragrant sourness in dairy like yogurt and sour cream, right?
I've been pondering cultivating my own sourdough culture for home baking, and from what I understand most wild yeast cultures do contain some form of lactobacilli. I was wondering if anyone ever tried incorporating lactobacilli present in yogurt to sourdough.
Please share with us your experience/know-how.

Top This: Bianca Pizza (a la Ragazza)

A bonafide tomato/tomato sauce enthusiast, I'm certainly guilty of dismissing white pies as 'boring.' That's until I tried the Bianca at San Francisco's Ragazza. Chef Sharon Ardiana blends sharp, aged provolone, preserved Meyer lemon, and a straight-up dangerous onion crema to form the Bianca's base. This is topped with a sprinkling of snappy fresh arugula, and a pour of extra virgin olive oil. More

First Look: 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria, Los Angeles

As Neapolitan-style pizza prices rise and a rise, former Restaurant Michael Mina Chef Anthony Carron dreamed up a restaurant concept that would bring the prices back down. How cheap? $6 for a 12 inch Margherita cheap! Instead of skimping on ingredients or wood fire ovens, Chef Carron partnered up with Adam Fleischman of Umami Burger and Allen Ravert of Mexicali Cocina Cantina, to create an authentic as possible fast-casual Neapolitan pizzeria. More

Top This: Lardo Pizza (à la Otto Enoteca Pizzeria)

"So is lardo essentially just....fat?" Someone recently asked me. Well in a way, yes, but really, it's so much more—pure pork fatback cured with salt and other spices such as rosemary, pepper, and garlic. The Lardo Pizza at Mario Batali's Otto Enoteca in New York City's Greenwich Village is an ode to the rich, slightly musky, creamy, silky perfection that is lardo. More

Top This: Mushroom and Farm Egg Pizza (à la ABC Kitchen)

There is something alluring about a golden egg yolk running all over your pizza. At Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Greenmarket-inspired ABC Kitchen in New York, Chef Dan Kluger takes breakfast pizza to new heights by placing an oh-so-runny farm egg atop his earthy wild mushroom, Parmesan, and oregano pie. Did we mention that he throws a little homemade ricotta and tangy Tomme-style cheese in there for good measure? It's a pizza I'm definitely going to want to make at home. More

Daily Slice: Girella at Don Antonio, NYC

Daily Slice gives a quick snapshot each weekday of a different slice or pie that the folks at the Serious Eats empire have enjoyed lately. [Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt] Since opening a month ago, we've had a great first look and 'Top This' recipe post from mid-town Manhattan's newest Neapolitan pizzeria, Don Antonio. The Antonio Starita and Roberto Caporuscio pizzaoli partnership here guarantees that the pizzas are gonna be the real deal, but when I saw the Girella ($21), I had to get my mitts on it. Why the Girella? Because this roulade of mozzarella looks freakin' awesome:... More

Redd Wood in Yountville: A Pizza Destination in Napa Valley

When we editors are out on eating tours, like we did with Ford Escape in Napa a few weeks ago, we tend to map out our own itineraries. But Serious Eats overlord Ed Levine does chime in with opinions from time to time—and when he does, they tend to be pretty spot-on. "Redd Wood is Richard Reddington's new pizzeria," he emailed us. "I just met him [in Los Angeles] tonight. I had apps at his other restaurant in Yountville, Redd, and they were really good. I bet his pizza is pretty damn good. You should try it." More

Top This: The Lombarda (à la Osteria)

The Lombarda has been on the menu at Osteria since day one. And thinking back to 2007, it was a time when topping a pizza with an oozy, baked egg was pretty revolutionary. Taking a the time that Chefs Marc Vetri and Jeff Michaud spent cooking in the Lombardia region of Italy this pie is topped with two regional specialties, house made cotechino sausage spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and nutty Bitto cheese, along with fresh fresh mozzarella made by DiBruno Bothers, and a swipe of tomato sauce. Oh, and then there's that egg. More

The 8 Best Pizzas in the Pacific Northwest

While the major hubs in the Pacific Northwest don't have a pizza tradition, there are plenty of passionate pizza people that have opened up shop in Seattle and Portland. The pizza landscape has changed dramatically in the last seven years, so much so that Portland and Seattle seem to be leading the charge in the pizza renaissance. And despite not having regional styles steeped in history, pizzerias in the Pacific Northwest are putting their own stamp on Neopartisinal pies through local sourcing, creative toppings, and new approaches, all of which perpetuate the evolution of pizza. More

The Food Lab: How To Make Beef Barbacoa Better Than Chipotle's

There's no denying it: People love Chipotle's beef barbacoa, and it's with good reason. By fast food standards—I might even go so far as to say by any standards—it's tasty stuff. Slow-braised naturally raised beef shoulder clod flavored with chipotle chilis and cumin, it's tender, juicy, and well-seasoned. This is, of course, only useful news if you happen to be strolling by a Chipotle when the urge for a burrito strikes, which leaves us with one answer: That's right, we're going to make it ourselves. And while we're at it, why not set ourselves the goal of making it even better than Chipotle's? More

Scottsdale, Arizona: 'Pomo Pizzeria Napoletana

'Pomo Pizzeria Napoletana is situated in the Borgata, a faux Italian plaza built about 20 years ago in the heart of Scottsdale, Arizona. Stefano Fabbri opened the restaurant—the valley's first VPN-certified pizzeria—in February of this year with his Acunto Forni brick oven as the prominent centerpiece. This 6,000-pound beauty was hand-built in Naples, shipped across the ocean, and then brought all the way to Arizona. More

Sauced: Hollandaise

Sometimes perceived as a difficult sauce, Hollandaise is actually pretty simple after following just a couple important directions. This creamy, rich, tangy sauce should come out right every time, ready to top Eggs Benedict or beautifully dress a plate of asparagus. More