Profile

pdc

How to Grill Pizza Indoors

How did the fermenting "overnight at room temp" and letting it rise at room temp for an hour and a half differ? The crust looks beautiful.

AHT Giveaway: Case of Pat La Frieda Burgers

In N Out. Unfortunately, nowhere close to Boston.

Photo of the Day: Canine Prewash Cycle

What is it with dogs and dishwashers?

Seriously Delicious Giveaway: Zingerman's Gift Certificate

Marcel Petit Comte!

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Two Peter Luger Steaks

porterhouse. a little on the bloody side.

Win Your Thanksgiving Turkey!

Frighten small children.

Win Your Thanksgiving Turkey!

In the bird! In the bird!

Win Your Thanksgiving Turkey!

The thigh. Oh, and the skin.

Weekend Book Giveaway: 'The Elements of Cooking'

Seasoning! No matter how amazing the quality of the product is, you need to season it properly to make it taste good.

What's Your Favorite Thanksgiving Food?

Stuffing. But only the stuffing that's cooked inside the bird where it gets all nice and moist. Otherwise, most stuffing's I've had tend to be too dry.

What's Your Go-To Weekday Breakfast?

It's amazing that I can't eat the same thing for dinner within a 2 week span, but I can eat the same damn breakfast every single day. A bowl of cereal, always a combination of two different varieties. Currently, I'm working on Kashi Cinnamon Harvest along with Kashi Heart to Heart Oat Flakes and Wild Blueberry Clusters with soy milk. A glass of OJ always goes along with it. From start to finish, probably 5 minutes, with no major appliances or sharp utensils involved.

Dean's Pizzeria: Semi-Serious

These types of places drive me nuts! I appreciate that they're at least trying to put out a good product, but while I can't speak for Dean's specifically, there are similar places up in the Boston area who are cut from the same cloth. They've been started not from a passion for the pie, but from a business plan. They're developed from the start to be rolled out as franchises, and they're very successful. They provide a decent place for a family to go for dinner, where the kids are happy because they're having pizza, and the parents can enjoy a nice glass of wine or a beer with their seemingly upscale and hand-crafted pie. But the pizza lacks soul! Like you said, there's no one with his blood, sweat, and tears in every piece of dough, agonizing over every single pie. It's passionless. My heart sinks every time I drive by the place, knowing how much better it could be.

Pizza Hack: Broil Your Pies

This technique has been my salvation for the past few months. Lots of debate about it on the Pizzamaking.com forums, but the results are undeniable. I found a 15 inch cast iron pan on Amazon, which allows me to make normal 12 inch pies. I've found that if the crust doesn't get crisp enough on the bottom by the time the top is charred, sliding it into a heated skillet on a high flame will take care of it. No matter how good your dough is, short of hacking your oven to bake on the cleaning cycle, nothing else gets close to the true texture of a Neapolitan pie. Nice and puffy, charred, and tender inside. A couple of photos of my results are here.

Sandwiches That Will Change Your Life

The fresh mozzarella/tomato/basil and the tuna/red onion/olives/lemon/arugula sandwiches at Pane Bianco in Phoenix. Jaw droppingly great bread from the wood-fired oven and perfect ingredients.

First Annual Serious Eats Food Rorschach Test

1) Ben & Jerry's - Because I can spell it.

2) Skippy - It just sounds more fun

3) Bagel - Preferably a still-warm everything bagel from H&H

4) Regular Cream Cheese - You can't get a good schmear with the whipped.

5) Sauerkraut

6) Dark Chocolate - Although milk chocolate certainly has its place.

7) Salted Butter

8) Corned Beef

9) French Fries - Please make them hand cut double fried.

10) Espresso

11) Crispy - But leave a little bit of the chewy fat left.

12) Dark Meat

Best Ice Cream in America's Best Ice Cream Town?

It is indeed a classic. I'm sure Christina's burnt sugar is a takeoff on it. Toscanini's is actually selling it, along with a few other flavors in local markets, including Formaggio Kitchen, and I believe Whole Foods as well.

Best Ice Cream in America's Best Ice Cream Town?

Christina's has them beat with it's variety and uniqueness of flavors. Adzuki bean, mexican chocolate, burnt sugar, saffron, carrot cake, fresh mint, khulfi... the list goes on and on. Plus, it's the perfect way to end the night after a meal at East Coast Grill, right next door.

LIVE: The James Beard Awards

Ed-

Thanks for the fine report. The fact that Suzanne Goin had her wedding at Pizzeria Bianco is one of the coolest things to learn. I wish I had thought of that. Chris is a master and a true artist and one of the most interesting guys I've ever met. From your book, it's obvious that you share my appreciation for his work, and I wish that I could make it out to Phoenix more than once a year to taste his pies. As you learned the hard way, Boston pizza is lacking to say the least. Keep up the good work. Your blog is a great read.

Regards,

Pete

To Picco or not Picco

Ed-

After reading your pizza list in Details, I was intrigued about Picco in Boston. The reviews I've read and heard vary wildly, so I'm having a difficult time deciding if it's worth visiting. From their website, it sounds like they're attempting to do the right things in terms of ingredients and dedication to the craft, but does the pizza stack up? Let's put it this way, if I have one night out for pizza this week, do I go to the original Regina's in the North End or give this newcomer (disregarding the ice cream for now) a shot?

-Pete

pdc hasn't favorited a post yet.