Better pizza

Making better pizza is a journey rather than a destination.  One of my correspondents recommends a pizza stone of steel!

- A 1/2" thick piece of A36 steel cut to fit on your home oven rack is better than any pizza stone.  Preheat for 1 hr at max temp your oven will do.  Most fabricators will do this for you.  Just make sure you wash the hell out of it before first use.

- All pizza/bread doughs using commercial yeasts (dry instant yeast, dry active yeast, fresh cake yeast) are MUCH better (tasting and handling) if you do a day (or more) retarded fermentation in the fridge.  You'll need to cut down the amount of yeast used and take the dough out of the fridge a couple of hours before use.

I've used mine for a few years now and haven't seasoned it.  However, it is VERY dry here in Denver, as I'm sure you know.  Obviously, seasoning wouldn't hurt.

I'm not a steel industry guy, but have practiced environmental engineering for 30 odd years, so I'm a bit paranoid.  I think all flat top grills are A36 steel, so no worries there.  I did the following when I got my piece from the fabricator:

- made sure there was no slag left (knocked off any loose sh$t)
- Washed/scrubbed it in the sink with detergent until a white cloth came up clean
- put it in the oven @ 550F for an hour figuring that would burn off an[y] volatiles

So far so good.  My piece weighs about 32 lbs.  If I were to do it again, I'd cut the piece in half perpendicular to its long axis.  It would be much easier to deal with in two 15 lb pieces!

Winter supper

It was sleeting in Chicago this morning, and cold rain falls in Atlanta this evening.  Christmas and New Years are distant memories.  It is the cold, dark, and wet winter nights.

How about steaming-hot, home-made pot pie for supper?

4th of July, final report

Memphis style ribs, cole slaw, baked beans, and blueberry pie were the order of this red, white, and blue day.  Ray and MaryAnne Brown stopped by to complete the festivities.

Ray Brown views the set table.  MaryAnne is in the mirror (click on photo to see entirety).

Aki's Memphis-styled BBQ ribs were a hit.

The blueberry pie put some new notches in the belt.

Fireworks, interrupted.  Larsen glowers at Chance (not in photo) from within his crate.  

Summer in the rear-view mirror

Is it mid-summer 2011 already? Fourth of July in Atlanta means the Peachtree Roadrace, a 10k for those who can take the steamy heat. Aki ran a credible time, and her reward was a new t-shirt. That, and Memphis-style pork ribs, and corn on the cob. Iced tea. Home-made peach ice cream. A loving dog.


Aki watches the progress of the ribs on the grill.


Aki and Larsen enjoy the holiday evening.

Duck

Larsen licks his lips in anticipation of the duck cooked up for Christmas dinner.

Happily, the duck made its way to the dinner table.