1 Jessica's
Our favorite pizza place in DC is called 2 Amy's - it's Neapolitan style pizza with a very thin crust, a bit of fresh tomato, basil, fresh mozzarella, and a touch of olive oil (the following pic is of a 2 Amy's pizza, NOT my pizza).
It's literally heaven on a plate. I've never eaten anything like it - not even in Italy (although I should admit I never went to Naples, but anyway). So last night when I made my first attempt at home made pizza - we're talking crust from scratch, tomato sauce from scratch, the whole shebang - I didn't expect stellar results. In fact it was a bit of a drama.
I'll sum it up by saying that the dough was insanely gluey, it stuck to the parchment paper I had rolled it out on, and things were a bit of a disaster going into the oven. I realize that a paper product inside a 500 degree oven is not advisable - but I just threw caution (and reason) to the wind and grabbed the fire extinguisher and waited. :) The recipe called for 8 oz. of buffalo mozzarella, and I thought to myself as I was assembling the pizza, "Wow - this is a LOT of cheese." So I wasn't surprised to see the cheese boil over into a huge gooey dripping mess all over the pizza stone as the pizza cooked. Awesome. At this point I'm double-checking to be sure we have a back-up frozen Whole Foods pizza in the freezer (check!), but I'm seeing this thing through to the end. I go to pull the pizza out, and it's a bit of a disaster (which resulted in a cracked pizza stone, but I digress), but I stick the pizza on a baking sheet and let it cool. It's still an oozing, bubbling mess. Here's a pic:
I'll sum it up by saying that the dough was insanely gluey, it stuck to the parchment paper I had rolled it out on, and things were a bit of a disaster going into the oven. I realize that a paper product inside a 500 degree oven is not advisable - but I just threw caution (and reason) to the wind and grabbed the fire extinguisher and waited. :) The recipe called for 8 oz. of buffalo mozzarella, and I thought to myself as I was assembling the pizza, "Wow - this is a LOT of cheese." So I wasn't surprised to see the cheese boil over into a huge gooey dripping mess all over the pizza stone as the pizza cooked. Awesome. At this point I'm double-checking to be sure we have a back-up frozen Whole Foods pizza in the freezer (check!), but I'm seeing this thing through to the end. I go to pull the pizza out, and it's a bit of a disaster (which resulted in a cracked pizza stone, but I digress), but I stick the pizza on a baking sheet and let it cool. It's still an oozing, bubbling mess. Here's a pic:
I'm thinking, "Eh, doesn't look too appetizing." So I let it cool, and then I sprinkle some torn fresh basil on top:
I'm waiting for Gus to get home at this point, but I'm dying to know what it tastes like! So I cut it...and I take a bite...and it's heavenly. HEAVENLY! It tastes almost EXACTLY like the 2 Amy's pizza - a thin, slightly chewy, tangy crust that's crisp on the bottom, a slight tomato flavor, fresh mozzarella and basil - it's ridiculously good. Gus finally got home and we devoured the entire thing - smiling like morons the entire time. I'm so proud! Gus said, and I quote: "This is the second best pizza I've ever had." And guess what - I made a double batch of dough, and we're having it again tonight! I made enough tomato sauce last night for 8 pizzas (I just froze 6 pizzas worth) and bought enough cheese/basil for 2, so we have all the ingredients for an identical pizza tonight. I'm so stoked! And so, in honor of our favorite 2 Amy's pizza, we are calling my pizza 1 Jessica's. I already posted the recipe, but here it is again for anyone wanting to try it:
Perfect Pizza Margherita
I highly recommend using a pizza stone, and as I learned last night, even if it looks like it's going to be a disaster, push through, because you may end up with something delicious (or you may not). But have a back-up in the freezer. :)
Today we had the last of the Rosh Hashanah challah in the form of cinnamon French toast. It was so good - I'm thinking of making a brioche today just so we can have French toast again tomorrow morning. I'm still a bit neurotic with the yeast breads/doughs, but I'm slowly losing my fear - I'm tied now, 2 failures (the Brioche Incident of 2007 and the first failed attempt at challah with dead yeast) to 2 successes (challah and pizza). I want to try a sourdough (my favorite bread), but I don't want to get ahead of myself - I may just wait for Dave and Corrinne to get here in October and show me how to do it in person.
I guess that's it - it's disgusting outside, chilly and gray and drizzly, so we're staying in and organizing the 2nd bedroom. The plan is to set up my sewing machine and sewing stuff in there so I can work on some stuff at home, which would be nice.
Okay, I have to go and put on some socks - my feet are freezing. Bye!
Today we had the last of the Rosh Hashanah challah in the form of cinnamon French toast. It was so good - I'm thinking of making a brioche today just so we can have French toast again tomorrow morning. I'm still a bit neurotic with the yeast breads/doughs, but I'm slowly losing my fear - I'm tied now, 2 failures (the Brioche Incident of 2007 and the first failed attempt at challah with dead yeast) to 2 successes (challah and pizza). I want to try a sourdough (my favorite bread), but I don't want to get ahead of myself - I may just wait for Dave and Corrinne to get here in October and show me how to do it in person.
I guess that's it - it's disgusting outside, chilly and gray and drizzly, so we're staying in and organizing the 2nd bedroom. The plan is to set up my sewing machine and sewing stuff in there so I can work on some stuff at home, which would be nice.
Okay, I have to go and put on some socks - my feet are freezing. Bye!
Glad to hear that you are doing well ... but I am beginning to think that your bone marrow donor may have been Julia Child, Giada di Laurentis, Alton Brown, Mario Batali or Bobby Flay!!! Wow.
ReplyDeleteLots of love,
Surrogate
Oooooh, I'd pick Julia Child as my bone marrow donor for sure. Or Jacques Pepin - I love him.
ReplyDeleteAnd what can I say? I have a LOT of free time! Things I should be doing: organizing the house/2nd bedroom, working on sewing projects, exercising, fundraising. What I do instead: cook, bake, and EAT! I think Gus is getting used to it. I'm attempting cinnamon rolls tomorrow morning....
To remind you again, you do have the genes of your Great Grandma Kate who was a stellar baker, so this is no surprise. I am thrilled that it is coming out in you now. I have some of her old books with her had written notes on the recipes. Expect a package.
ReplyDeleteYou look incredible and I am so happy that you are so happy and feeling so good.
Love You!
Gus is sooooooo lucky to have a great cook/baker for a wife. You're awesome. Your pizza looks a lot more appealing than the Amy's. Glad to hear Dave and Corrinne are gona visit, FUN. Great people.
ReplyDelete