Re: Loose, what's in the oven?

by Guest 2016-11-30, 23:09

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:
LooseGoose wrote:

Might be a while before I do pasties again. Son #1 is starting to warm to my pizza/pie shop idea as a way for him to own his own place. He was over tonight to talk about it so I'm going to be working with them on that for a while. Funny because two of my purchases on Monday were a Pizza Steel and a pizza peel to try and step my pizza game up.

subscribed

My .02....you want to set yourselves apart up there (there are some really good party store and bar pizzas to be honest), perfect your own flavor of a Detroit style. Would be a unique offering up there. Or a true NY style.

We can use this thread or I can start one if everyone would like to play along. My son has been pretty leery of doing this as he has a high fear of failure. I've tried to convince him that failing isn't the end of the world, you pick up and move on to the next project/idea.

There are 2 above average local pizza shops in Mio. Luzerne has 2 average local places to get a pizza. As people might have been able to guess based on Tom Monahan, The Illitchs, Papa John, etc - there's a LOT of $$ in pizza. The Large 16" pie that local shops sell for between $17-$21 has a food cost of under $5.

So we start from there.....

by **WhiteBoyHatcher** 2016-11-30, 23:12

What style do the 4 shops serve? All typical round (relatively) thin (but definitely not pan or NY)? Hand tossed I guess would be the term.

by **SeeRockCity** 2016-11-30, 23:23

pizza - i do them on the egg and always give them a hint pf smoke (fruit wood).

Really unique flavor that everyone really seems to love. wonder if you could do that with a commercial oven...

by **Other Teams Pursuing That** 2016-11-30, 23:24

Goose what would be a tasty meal/item to start with?

by Guest 2016-11-30, 23:26

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:What style do the 4 shops serve? All typical round (relatively) thin (but definitely not pan or NY)? Hand tossed I guess would be the term.

All round, 2 medium, 2 thicker crusts. None of them stand out as doing anything especially unique.
None of them ever run any specials. They're pretty loved, so the key is to offer something they don't.

I like the pizza from here:
http://www.miopizzashop.com/

by Guest 2016-11-30, 23:32

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:Goose what would be a tasty meal/item to start with?

Think of something you've liked at home or at a restaurant. I tend to bounce around on what I'm cooking.

My 1st "passion" many years ago was biscuits and gravy. I generally loved it for breakfast but it was always
so inconsistent from restaurant to restaurant and the canned stuff was blech.

I spent years getting 1st the sausage gravy right, then moved on from bisquick biscuits to biscuits from scratch.
I made it every Sunday morning for years and would have friends, relatives, old girlfriends, all kinds of random
people just show up because they knew it would be cooking. I stopped doing that when I moved up here in '07
and kind of miss it to be honest.

Now I rarely make it but when I do it brings back memories.

by **SeeRockCity** 2016-11-30, 23:39

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:Goose what would be a tasty meal/item to start with?

Start with a simple classic like pâté de canard en croûte

by **WhiteBoyHatcher** 2016-11-30, 23:40

SeeRockCity wrote:
Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:Goose what would be a tasty meal/item to start with?

Start with a simple classic like pâté de canard en croûte

This.

Or a The Dowager Lady Margret, Countess and Prefict of Northumbria pie.

by Guest 2016-11-30, 23:41

SeeRockCity wrote:pizza - i do them on the egg and always give them a hint pf smoke (fruit wood).
Really unique flavor that everyone really seems to love. wonder if you could do that with a commercial oven...

True NY or Conn pizza is going to be cooked with a coal fire so they would have some of the smoke flavor.

Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 Coal-oven-pizza-@-Tony-Saccos-1024x684

Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 Coal-oven-pizza-@-Tony-Saccos-1024x684

by **SeeRockCity** 2016-12-01, 09:16

LooseGoose wrote:
SeeRockCity wrote:pizza - i do them on the egg and always give them a hint pf smoke (fruit wood).
Really unique flavor that everyone really seems to love. wonder if you could do that with a commercial oven...

True NY or Conn pizza is going to be cooked with a coal fire so they would have some of the smoke flavor.

Pure charcoal does not add smoke flavors, you have to use raw wood (chips / chunks).

by **WhiteBoyHatcher** 2016-12-01, 10:46

What do you think charcoal is SRC?

by **SeeRockCity** 2016-12-01, 13:11

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:What do you think charcoal is SRC?

lol.

Pure charcoal (not briquettes) does not impart much (if any) smokey flavor when heated properly. Some lump charcoal is not fully carbonized and therefore the non-carbon elements release the gases that create that "smokey" flavor to whatever you're cooking. Why do you think you need to add raw wood to a smoker in order to get "smoked" flavor?

I have cooked bread in my green egg many times using high-quality lump charcoal and have never had it taste "smokey". Same with pizza. But if you chuck a little fruit wood in the fire while cooking, you'll get that smokey flavor that everyone associates with barbecue.

There are lots of articles out there on the topic.

by CheesySpartan 2016-12-01, 13:54

I agree with SRC.

Smoked a beef tenderloin for some family and friends last weekend. First time doing it and it was a homerun! Added hickory chips during the smoking process and did a reverse sear on the grill after it got to 115-120 on the smoker. Served with a horseradish cream sauce and sauteed hen-of-the-woods we had frozen from the fall harvest.

http://barbecuebible.com/recipe/smoked-beef-tenderloin-with-ember-roasted-peppers/

by **WhiteBoyHatcher** 2016-12-01, 14:25

I've actually forgotten my wood chunks for tailgates and smoked brisket purely over my Stubbs briquettes. Gets plenty of smoke from the charcoal, plenty of bark, etc. Might not have that fine subtle oak flavor but it works! Try it some time as an experiment.

by **SeeRockCity** 2016-12-01, 14:41

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:I've actually forgotten my wood chunks for tailgates and smoked brisket purely over my Stubbs briquettes. Gets plenty of smoke from the charcoal, plenty of bark, etc. Might not have that fine subtle oak flavor but it works! Try it some time as an experiment.

Here is where we are disconnecting. #NotJudging #WhateverWorks #RespectTheQ

Edit: Also, I wasn't lol'ing at you. Just the way you phrased your response. As if I thought charcoal came from baby elephants.

by **SeeRockCity** 2016-12-01, 14:41

CheesySpartan wrote:I agree with SRC.

Smoked a beef tenderloin for some family and friends last weekend. First time doing it and it was a homerun! Added hickory chips during the smoking process and did a reverse sear on the grill after it got to 115-120 on the smoker. Served with a horseradish cream sauce and sauteed hen-of-the-woods we had frozen from the fall harvest.

http://barbecuebible.com/recipe/smoked-beef-tenderloin-with-ember-roasted-peppers/

That sounds pretty damn delicious.

by **Floyd Robertson** 2016-12-14, 06:46

How do you feel about gingerbread Spartans, Goose?

by Guest 2016-12-14, 09:52

Floyd Robertson wrote:How do you feel about gingerbread Spartans, Goose?

Those look nice, too much fancy work for me.

I actually pulled my molasses cookie recipe out last night, was thinking about making some of those today.

Anyone need something for the Holidays? Pick up in the north country only - I'll be baking the 22nd & 23rd.

by Guest 2016-12-19, 19:19

I'm starting with hard candy and then fudge tomorrow - fruit cakes on Wednesday - then cookies and pies on Thursday/Friday.

Any last minute requests let me know. Pickup in Grayling, Luzerne or Mio.

by Guest 2016-12-22, 20:35

Running a bit late on the baking, doing it all tomorrow.

Cookies in the AM, followed by fruit cakes, then pies in the early afternoon.

Still willing to throw extras in if any of you are passing by.

by Guest 2016-12-23, 11:38

3 fruit cakes out of the oven - starting the cookies now.

by Guest 2016-12-23, 21:05

Fruitcake batter
Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 Ah7hRlz

Fruitcakes
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Grandma's sugar cookies before frosting
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by Guest 2016-12-24, 20:49

Had my 2 year old grandson assisting me today so I'm blaming him for some aesthetic problems....

The mincemeat waiting to be top crusted....
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Got a little crazy on the sugar on the blueberry:
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I didn't know how big to make the crust - my 1st pumpkin from the pumpkin, not a can.
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The pecan looking a little shakey before cooking
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Custard #1 looking good....
Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 5EgQTv5

The mincemeat out of the oven...
Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 HiFihNM

Custard #2 got a bit too much nutmeg....
Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 Ym8tVNV

Tally for the day:
1 Mincemeat
2 Custard
1 Coconut Custard
1 Pecan
1 Pumpkin
1 Blueberry

And yesterday - 3 fruitcakes and 14 dozen cookies.

Done baking for a week now until next weekend's festivities.

by **WhiteBoyHatcher** 2016-12-29, 22:06

Loose, I got ambitious the other night and decided to give a blueberry pie a go using the crust recipe I got from my mom.

Here is the recipe I used for the filling:
http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2016/06/17/best-blueberry-pie/

I used fresh blueberries, the prescribed amount of sugar and cornstarch and added a bit of brown sugar.

Here are some pics:

Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 31131669024_0df27e6d4e_z

Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 31131669024_0df27e6d4e_z

Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 31823691682_938a25a5b2_z

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Now, the verdict....the crust was great, but the filling was a bit sour. Still very good pie overall but would have liked the filling to be a bit sweeter. Thoughts on this? Add more sugar next time? Wait for the berries to ripen up a bit? Hold the lemon juice?

by **WhiteBoyHatcher** 2016-12-29, 22:11

Next topic.

I mentioned pizza earlier in this thread. I've yet to find a make at home pizza recipe that I really dig. At least anything to compete with shit I can just order or pick up. In particular looking for a NY style I could make at home.

I found this. Jackpot.

http://feelingfoodish.com/the-best-new-york-style-pizza-dough/

I made it last night. It was fucking great. I've always used a rolling pin to try to thin my crust out. The dough ball in the fridge for at least 24h > hand stretching (used the embedded video as a guide) > heating the stone for an hour at 550 and then using the broiler to actually cook = damn close to a brick oven style NY pie.

I bought a block of brick and a block of mozz and shredded them and used about a 50/50 mixture.

Now I just need to find the spicy pepperoni that will cup up when you cook it.

Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 31855167001_5b4c1125bd_z

Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 31855167001_5b4c1125bd_z

by Guest 2016-12-30, 07:22

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:Loose, I got ambitious the other night and decided to give a blueberry pie a go using the crust recipe I got from my mom.

Now, the verdict....the crust was great, but the filling was a bit sour. Still very good pie overall but would have liked the filling to be a bit sweeter. Thoughts on this? Add more sugar next time? Wait for the berries to ripen up a bit? Hold the lemon juice?

That looks great, I'm semi-pissed that you're already better at crust aesthetics than I am.

I try to be minimal on sugar but that's just not enough. For *most* fruit pies you need a ratio of 2C Fruit/1C Sugar. That said, the lemon juice wouldn't help either and I have no idea what the egg is doing there. For someone blathering about using minimal ingredients she's got Cinnnamon, Egg, Milk, Lemon juice and butter all in blueberry filling and all unnecessary.

I mix sugar into the berries, then in a mixing cup whisk about 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch into around 1/4C of water and mix that in with the berries. Put it in your crust and go.

********
A 2nd way that's more work and a touch more risk of fucking things up but has the advantage of knowing what the final product will taste like. Instead of putting that mix into the crust put it in a non stick pan, turn a burner on low and start heating it. Stir it occasionally as it heats with a nice silicone spatula. As it gets warmer it'll start to thicken, slowly at 1st and then all of a sudden. Once it's thick pour/spatula it into your pie crust and bake.

Why is this better? 1-you can guarantee the filling will be thick and not watery. 2-you can taste test as it thickens for sweetness, etc and adjust if necessary. 3-you can slowly add flour if you need to thicken it up a bit. Be careful of 2 things - 1-don't add too much flour/corn starch, at some point they affect the flavor. Let the heat work for you to thicken. 2-don't overcook or burn your filling.
********************

by Guest 2016-12-30, 07:28

Just thought of this - I actually put blueberries out last night because my BiL that LOVES no other dessert is coming up for lunch tomorrow. I'll make the filling with method #2 and try to get some decent pics. I'm also making a couple strawberry-rhubarbs for the rest of the group.

It's amazing that the stores already have Florida Strawberries on the shelves and on sale. If you want to try some of those let me know and I'll ship you some frozen rhubarb next week. I've got WAY too much in my freezer.

by Guest 2016-12-30, 07:33

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:Next topic.

I mentioned pizza earlier in this thread. I've yet to find a make at home pizza recipe that I really dig. At least anything to compete with shit I can just order or pick up. In particular looking for a NY style I could make at home.

I found this. Jackpot.

http://feelingfoodish.com/the-best-new-york-style-pizza-dough/

I made it last night. It was fucking great. I've always used a rolling pin to try to thin my crust out. The dough ball in the fridge for at least 24h > hand stretching (used the embedded video as a guide) > heating the stone for an hour at 550 and then using the broiler to actually cook = damn close to a brick oven style NY pie.

I bought a block of brick and a block of mozz and shredded them and used about a 50/50 mixture.

Now I just need to find the spicy pepperoni that will cup up when you cook it.

That looks good too, damn you're on a roll!!

I bought a pizza steel rather than a stone and a peel so now I can kick pizzas out in quantity. Once your kids have friends over, etc you'll be the hero dad if you can keep them in custom made pizzas. :-))

by **WhiteBoyHatcher** 2016-12-30, 09:27

Definitely keep me posted on the pre-made filling, that sounds interesting.

Yeah I don't know why the f this lady puts lemon juice in the filling. In retrospect I should have vetoed that. Also the milk and eggs I believe are for brushing on the crust and not the filling, the filling was just the berries, sugar, cinn, lemon juice and cornstarch.

Surprised at that sugar ratio...we used a 1.5 cups of white and brown sugar to make the apple pies and I'm gonna say we had at least 7-8 cups of apples, and it was plenty sweet.

I'll have to up it and try again. I wish I had a mini pie dish, it would be fun to experiment but then I'm like wtf am I gonna do with this big ass pie?

Re: pizza steel, which one did you buy? I just did some checking on amazon and some of those fucking things are ginormous and > $100. My wife loathes the smell of the pizza stone and it stinks up the house for a day after I use it. Giddy up on replacing it with a steel.

by Guest 2016-12-30, 11:56

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:Definitely keep me posted on the pre-made filling, that sounds interesting.

Yeah I don't know why the f this lady puts lemon juice in the filling. In retrospect I should have vetoed that. Also the milk and eggs I believe are for brushing on the crust and not the filling, the filling was just the berries, sugar, cinn, lemon juice and cornstarch.

Surprised at that sugar ratio...we used a 1.5 cups of white and brown sugar to make the apple pies and I'm gonna say we had at least 7-8 cups of apples, and it was plenty sweet.

I'll have to up it and try again. I wish I had a mini pie dish, it would be fun to experiment but then I'm like wtf am I gonna do with this big ass pie?

Re: pizza steel, which one did you buy? I just did some checking on amazon and some of those fucking things are ginormous and > $100. My wife loathes the smell of the pizza stone and it stinks up the house for a day after I use it. Giddy up on replacing it with a steel.

The sugar thing takes some experimenting, but I was wrong - was a 4-1 ratio, not 2-1. Strawberry Rhubarb takes a bit more than blueberry, apples depend on the variety but definitely take less sugar.

This one is 15#'s and $100 - gets 4.5*'s reviews. I planned to buy it until I stumbled on the next one.
https://www.amazon.com/The-Original-Baking-Steel-1/dp/B00N205G22

The one I bought - $22, 7.5#'s and gets 4.5*'s too. It's heavy enough to deal with.
https://www.amazon.com/Pizzacraft-Square-Baking-Kitchen-Barbeque/dp/B00NMLKW6Q
And so far I've used the "steel and broiler" method they describe and had it work perfectly.

by **The Pantry** 2016-12-30, 13:02

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:My wife loathes the smell of the pizza stone and it stinks up the house for a day after I use it.

Have a couple stones and have not noticed any off-putting smell. Let them cool then throw them in the dishwasher.

by Guest 2016-12-30, 16:00

Just put a blueberry pie and some Strawberry rhubarb crisp in the oven. Took some pics as I made the fillings - I still suck at stirring and snapping.

The blueberry with the sugar and thickener added...
Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 UKf1w6J

Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 UKf1w6J

And stirred in, you can see it's quite juicy....
Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 AiU8bdZ

Warm now and just starting to thicken, you can see it sticking a little to the spatula...
Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 TFDYM0J

Cooled off a bit and in the pie shell - you can see by the spatula it's much thicker.
Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 5lNLmyE

Now the Strawberry rhubarb:

With the sugar and thickener added:
Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 5KaI0E0

And again you can see how juicy it is as it warms.
Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 R6ntdat

Thickened up and in the big pan waiting for the topping.
Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 MRvbs8J

by **pulling69** 2017-01-03, 02:58

Loose, time for you to up your game and start rolling out some meat pies. Any rube can cram some sugared fruit into a crusted pie dish and make a dessert dish... It takes a real man to be able to make a real pie stuffed with meat and gravy in a super flaky crust. Until I see the proof of said meatpie you are dead to me.

by MattyFresh 2017-01-03, 03:05

pulling69 wrote:Loose, time for you to up your game and start rolling out some meat pies. Any rube can cram some sugared fruit into a crusted pie dish and make a dessert dish... It takes a real man to be able to make a real pie stuffed with meat and gravy in a super flaky crust. Until I see the proof of said meatpie you are dead to me.

Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 502811600

by MattyFresh 2017-01-14, 17:43

by MattyFresh 2017-01-14, 17:45

I know I am no Loose but I cook Paleo stuff and I did a honey sesame siracha chicken last night and it was amazing... and by no means am I attempting to hijack a solid thread.. shit should I start a MattyFresh Paleo Cooking thread...?

Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 Aaaaaa10

Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 Aaaaaa10

by Guest 2017-01-14, 17:59

MattyFresh wrote:I know I am no Loose but I cook Paleo stuff and I did a honey sesame siracha chicken last night and it was amazing... and by no means am I attempting to hijack a solid thread.. shit should I start a MattyFresh Paleo Cooking thread...?

Nope, you're good. Maybe we should start a general 2017 cooking thread? How did those taste? I'm not a big drumstick fan but do like sesame.

I'm taking a couple weeks off after the holidays. The only thing I've cooked lately has been some fine comfort food. Got the 2 yr old grandson into it with me.....my daughter is grossed by that.

Loose, what's in the oven? - Page 11 KdUWpnY

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Nothing like some fresh liver and onions. Not like that crap most stores sell. My oldest son loved liver until he got to school and found out he was supposed to hate it.

by MattyFresh 2017-01-14, 18:00

mmmm effin' delicious. Used to eat that with some good old white toast

by **The Pantry** 2017-01-14, 20:43

LooseGoose wrote:
MattyFresh wrote:I know I am no Loose but I cook Paleo stuff and I did a honey sesame siracha chicken last night and it was amazing... and by no means am I attempting to hijack a solid thread.. shit should I start a MattyFresh Paleo Cooking thread...?

Nope, you're good. Maybe we should start a general 2017 cooking thread? How did those taste? I'm not a big drumstick fan but do like sesame.

I'm taking a couple weeks off after the holidays. The only thing I've cooked lately has been some fine comfort food. Got the 2 yr old grandson into it with me.....my daughter is grossed by that.

Nothing like some fresh liver and onions. Not like that crap most stores sell. My oldest son loved liver until he got to school and found out he was supposed to hate it.

That looks good but have always disliked liver. Find the smell, texture, and taste displeasing.

Routinely eat stuff that would make Turtleneck throw up in his mouth. Some of the best kabobs I've made were beef kidney grilled medium rare.

Have tried to like liver over the years. Have buried it in onions and bacon but still not there.

by **The Pantry** 2017-01-14, 20:50

MattyFresh wrote:I know I am no Loose but I cook Paleo stuff and I did a honey sesame siracha chicken last night and it was amazing... and by no means am I attempting to hijack a solid thread.. shit should I start a MattyFresh Paleo Cooking thread...?

The sesame seed reminds of a solid wing recipe I haven't made in a while.

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