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Brooklyn: New Franny's Going Strong

@BKMatt They are Mugnaini. --K

My Pie Monday: BBQ Chicken Pie, Boardwalk-Style, Deep Dish, and More!

I meant to say Aleppo & Calabrian chiles in combo. Thanks. --K

My Pie Monday: BBQ Chicken Pie, Boardwalk-Style, Deep Dish, and More!

Craig, words fail to describe how wonderful that pizza looks.

After trying the Calabrian chile oil/chiles mix last Spring, I have become hooked on it in a big way. They were a smash hit at the Farmers Market last summer and will appear on pies from time to time in Hampden. Thanks so much Diana and Craig. --K

My Pie Monday: Sicilians, Detroiters, Bar Pies, and More!

Some straight up gangster shit in the mix this week.

Impressive stuff to be sure. --K

Poll: Vegan Pizza, Way or No Way?

@dhorst Hopefully you've created an opportunity to try it over the last four days. :)

Poll: Vegan Pizza, Way or No Way?

@DMC yes, it's excellent. I now use it to coat the rim of the glass when making bloody mary's.

A good pizza is an amalgamation of good ingredients with some thought put into creating interesting combinations of those ingredients, flavors, textures, etc. If that means the pizza does not have cheese or meat on it, what's the big deal? --K

Totonno's: Back at It

Those pics show the Totonno's I remember before the fire indeed.

Road trip is in order. --K

My Pie Monday: Smoked Pork Jowl Pie, Spanakopita, Asian Pear Pizza, and More!

Wow, a power packed week of beautiful looking pizzas and photographs.

Great stuff....keep 'em coming! --K

Atlanta: Pizzas You'll Appreciate at No. 246

Nice write-up Todd.

Could you tell if the Acunto they are using is built by Gianni Acunto or Mario Acunto? Just curious.

Thanks. --K

My Pie Monday: Peking Duck Pizza, Chicago Deep Dish, Breakfast Pies, and More!

As always, you guys are off the hook.

Tasty looking pies. --K

Letters to Totonno's: Pete Wells, Allison Robicelli, Cookie Cimineri, and Others on America's Church of Pizza

This makes me very happy.....and anxious to get back to Brooklyn. --K

My Pie Monday: Savory Caponata, Haute Hawaiian, French Bread Pizzas, and More!

@stromie No apologies needed. --K

My Pie Monday: Savory Caponata, Haute Hawaiian, French Bread Pizzas, and More!

@Strome You should call that one Hawaii Five Haute. --K

Poll: Sugar in Tomato Sauce, Way or No Way?

As an aside, personally I would look into option C, but that may not be the case for people married to a particular brand.

Cheers. -K

Poll: Sugar in Tomato Sauce, Way or No Way?

Hypothetical situation:

You choose to only use one brand of tomato for your pizza sauce.

One year the weather conditions in the area the tomatoes grown for your brand are less than optimal and, because you are an attentive pizza maker that gives a rat's derriere, you notice the resultant tomato sauce is not quite as sweet as it usually is.

Do you:

A: Let it ride and make a sauce that you know is not as sweet as it usually is, even if you can tell the difference and "the average customer" cannot, because you do not "believe" in adding sugar to a pizza sauce?

B: Incrementally add small amounts of sugar to adjust the sweetness level closer to what sauce usually tastes like from the brand you use in an effort to maintain consistency and standards?

(Let's forgo option C: trying other brands of tomatoes to find a closer match so you don't have to use sugar).

I call BS on Option A. --K


Brooklyn Central Pizza: Neapolitan Pies Celebrate the Best of Two Worlds

Feeling the cheese melt on the DOC. --K

Which Sci-Fi Pizza Cutter is for You?

-like-a-jerk-they-out-of-work.....

Funny, I was blasting that album on the ride to work today. Timely! -K

Which Sci-Fi Pizza Cutter is for You?

@max falcowitz @Slicemeister Kirk>Picard...and the 1701>1701-D because of it. Keep hitting the pipe. --K

Which Sci-Fi Pizza Cutter is for You?

@jim-bob good one :)

There could be the Matrix cutter too, but you couldn't see it. "There is no cutter". --K

Which Sci-Fi Pizza Cutter is for You?

I'm a big Star Wars fan, but the Original Star Trek is the definition of a dope show.

Gimme the Enterprise cutter. --K

Chicago: Reno Brings Great Pizza to Logan Square

Sure are some tasty looking pies. --K

Travel + Leisure Ranks America's Best Pizza Cities

I'll just say that's one interesting list. --K

Chicago Pizza: Flour & Stone Tries to be 'Chicago's Brooklyn Style Pizza'

To be fair, this place has not even been open for three full weeks yet (February 4 opening day).

A little early for an official review perhaps? --K

Ask A Sommelier: What's the Best Wine for Pizza?

Frappato is great with pizza! Happy to see it mentioned here twice. You'll likely see an offering on the menu in Hampden.

When I make an arugula pie, I nearly always like a GV or a Chablis with it. Good to see those mentioned here as well.

Lambrusco is great with pizza, but Gragnano needs to be mentioned. And if you can find it, Lettere (just north of Gragnano), to me at least, is even better with pies than Gragnano.

Aglianico and Cannonau di Sardegna often lack the acidity of the others mentioned, but enjoyable as well.

Good call on the Greek tip.....Lebanon makes some good reds for pizza as well.

The Blanc de Nior Champagne and Margherita pairing now sounds so obvious after reading it, but it never even crossed my mind. Gonna try that this weekend.

Some others mentioned here I will definitely try, thanks for posting this. --K

Juliana's: Patsy Grimaldi's New Pizzeria in Search of a Legacy

Cannot wait.

Even if the pies are not what they once were, to see Patsy Grimaldi at the make table dressing a skin would be a tremendous honor. --K

Home Made Mozzarella: Some resources of the pasta filata process

I am posting this with the hope that some of you will be interested in trying to make mozzarella cheese in the traditional method. Nearly all of the home or house made mozzarella I have tried in America utilize methods in which pre-purchased curd is used or citric acid is used to fast set the curd (actually shock the milk). The internet is literally awash in "30 minute mozzarella", "1 hour mozzarella" and such.

It is admirable that people are making such quick mozzarella at home, but in reality quick mozzarella is just not that good. It lacks the subtly more complex flavor, better texture and melting properties of real mozzarella. I hope any of this peaks your interest and I apoligize if any of this has already been posted:

A primer on an adapted version which explains the pasta filata method for making fior-di-latte, with links to beginner information and a more traditional Italian method as well:

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/cheese/pasta_filata/pasta_filata.html

With regards to "starters"
1. Cultured Buttermilk can be used, which has active enzymes in it

2. A thermophilic culture can be used. An Italian culture is available from Cheesemaking.com here:

http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/p/137-Thermophilic-Italian-1-packet.html

3. You can create your own culture, as discussed in the following links:

http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php?topic=16.0

http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,67.0.html?PHPSESSID=d522d7cb2c749fe03c5e840749015c1f

And finally, there is simply no substitute for raw milk from cows allowed to free range, are 100% grass fed with no hormones. Jersey cows apparently don't make the best milk for the pasta filata process. The list of places to obtain raw milk, by State, from the Campaign for Real Milk website is invaluable:

http://www.realmilk.com/where1.html

Finally, two videos which show the process:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQuUIhHKp0A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgB-pmwOhbw

Take care. --K

Openings: Paulie Gee's, Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Openings: Paulie Gee's, Greenpoint, Brooklyn

This has been in the works for some time, but it's now official: Paulie Gee (aka Paul Gianonne) has signed the lease on the former Paloma space at 60 Greenpoint Avenue in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and is hoping to open Paulie Gee's by December. Anyone familiar with the Paulie Gee mythos won't find it surprising that his place will be a wood-fired Neapolitan-style joint. The oven is being built in Naples now and will be shipped over soon. Gianonne says he'll be the sole pizzaman at Paulie Gee's but will have an assistant trained and ready to step in at... More

Video: 'Naturally Risen' a Fitting Epitaph for Una Pizza Napoletana

Video: 'Naturally Risen' a Fitting Epitaph for Una Pizza Napoletana

Stills from the video "Naturally Risen". Click images to watch. As Manhattarino fires up and finds its legs, it's not too early to take a wistful look back on Una Pizza Napoletana and its moody pizzaiolo, Anthony Mangieri--particularly if the nostalgia trip is in the form of a beautifully shot, edited, and scored video. Art director and commercial artist Michael Evans is the genius behind the short making-of video called Naturally Risen, which follows Mangieri from dough-making to pizza-baking. Backed by a great Tommy Guerrero instrumental. You'll find the homage on Evans's site: divisionofsafety.com/NATURALLYRISEN. [via Pizzablogger via pizzamaking.com]... More