The Night of 15 Pizzas

This Saturday night was the ultimate pizza party (take that, all the grade school ones we got for reading books!) For one brief night, we managed to turn Sacha and Maconda's kitchen into our own little Italy thanks to homemade cheese, sauce, dough and every ingredient our brains could think of. The Heights Pizzeria we created had something for everyone on our menu featuring 15 most delectable pizzas. Everyone can kindly stop throwing fancy dinner parties now because nothing you do will ever top this.

Sacha and Maconda AKA The Gracious Hosts

As Sacha and Maconda are among the rare group of our friends adult enough to own a home, they offered it up to mad pizza scientist Kevin MC and the rest of us for a fancy evening of showing our stomachs zero mercy. Maconda was excited for a day of cooking experimentation (see the upcoming mozzarella and ricotta making post), while Sacha was in full on project manager mode ensuring each and every aspect of our kitchen chaos was at least somewhat controlled.

Kevin MC AKA Doughmaster Fresh

Kevin MC (the brilliant biochemistry prof, not to be confused with our usual collaborator plain old Kevin) has been perfecting his pizza making technique for a while now. He came equipped with 20 doughs and enough ingredients and crazy ideas to turn Sacha and Maconda's kitchen into the quintessential lab. All the pics of him came out blurry because it was impossible to capture the speed at which he was dishing out the delicious calculated madness.

The Experimental First Pizza

Ingredients: Tomato Sauce, Parmesan Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese

Kevin MC needed to get to know his equipment, so we sacrificed a fairly standard cheese pizza as his first offering to the heating gods. We learned a lesson about the evenness of heating in the oven (hint: see the burn mark), and got to experience the wonderfully airy yet crunchy crust complimented by gooey cheese for the first time.

Kevin MC's Mashed Potato and Bacon Pizza

 Ingredients: Olive Oil, Mashed Potatoes, Bacon and Mozzarella

This was the pizza I was the most intrigued to try all night. Kevin MC's creamy mashed potatoes somehow managed to replace sauce for one hell of a tasty slice. Never before had I eaten mashed potato pizza, but by the end of the night I would have tried 3 (and that wouldn't be nearly enough).

My Bacon Jam Pizza

Ingredients: Bacon Jam, Homemade Mozzarella, Onions, Arugula and Cracked Black Pepper

When you already know what the greatest pizza in the history of bread and cheese is, why try to make anything else? Way back in 2012, Courtney, Lars and I first made this pizza while enjoying time by Venice Beach. Bacon jam absolutely has to be tried to be believed. The result is a super bacony almost BBQ sauce that would definitely go great on any and all foods. Our freshly made mozzarella (recipe coming soon), arugula and black pepper helped balance the pizza, while the onions provided a nice second layer of crunch. As suspected, the pizza was a complete hit (as was eating bacon jam with a spoon).

Laura V's Pear, Prosciutto and Blue Cheese Pizza

Ingredients: Olive Oil, Pear, Prosciutto and Gorgonzola

Laura V nearly shocked the world with her entry into the pizza competition. The powerful gorgonzola paired nicely with the delicate pear and salty prosciutto for easily one of the most complex yet simple pizzas of the evening.

Kevin 1.0's Meatball Pizza

 Ingredients: Kevin's Homemade Tomato Sauce, Meatballs, Homemade Mozzarella, Basil and Sauteed Mushrooms & Onions

This was the other pizza of the evening that I couldn't wait to try. Frequent blog adventurer Kevin makes some of the world's tastiest tomato sauce and meatballs. Seriously, it's practically a religious experience. Add in sauteed mushrooms, onions, and freshly made cheese, and you get what's essentially the best giant open-faced meatball sub you'll ever have.

Sacha and Maconda's Truffled Meat Lover's Pizza

Ingredients: Tomato Sauce, Ham, Prosciutto, Meatball, Mozzarella and Black Truffle

In an effort to be the fanciest hosts possible, Sacha and Maconda bought the holy grail of home chefs- a truffle. Unfortunately, it was drowned out by the meat and cheese explosion. Fortunately, the meat and cheese were superb (and we still have plenty of truffle for future enjoyment).

Sacha and Maconda's Pesto Chicken Pizza

 Ingredients: Pesto, Roasted Chicken, Mozzarella, Homemade Ricotta and Roma Tomatoes

I'm not a huge fan of pesto, but the one Maconda made converted me over. Add in the homemade Ricotta, wonderfully fresh, juicy tomatoes and chicken, and this was a refreshing pizza to help cut the meat sweats we were starting to experience.

Roland's Bacon, Mushroom and Olive Pizza

Ingredients: Tomato Sauce, Bacon, Prosciutto, Mushrooms, Kalamata Olives, Mozzarella and Ricotta

Roland was inadvertently a man after my heart. My sister and I can vouch that Mushroom and Olive are scientifically the best pizza combo. And then he went and added bacon to it! Well played, sir. Well played.

Cory's 4 Cheese Pizza

Ingredients: Ricotta, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Blue Cheese, Basil and Cracked Black Pepper

I'm not gonna lie. I was a little disappointed to see a cheese pizza pop up after the crazy wormhole of ingredients we had just gone through. Despite my doubts, Cory managed to confirm that with pizza, simple is powerful. The four cheese flavor bomb managed to be just as thrilling as any of our other concoctions and highlighted the awesome power of pepper.

Kevin MC's Bay Area Clam and Radicchio Pizza

Ingredients: Clam, Grilled Radicchio, Parmesan, Olive Oil, Fish Stock and Lemon Juice

I've never been more scared and compelled by food like this in quite some time. Could the coolest named vegetable come together with seafood to make a tasty pizza? The answer was a resounding "yes"! Kevin MC's Bay Area Pizza managed to avoid being overly fishy, and was kicked up even further by the always wonderful lemon and seafood combo.

Kevin MC's and My Bacon Jam and Mashed Potato Hybrid Pizza

 Ingredients: Bacon Jam, Mashed Potatoes, Blue Cheese and Mozzarella

We were just about to begin remaking pizzas in our gluttonous quest, when it struck us that we should create a beautiful hybrid of two of our best early pizzas. The bacon jam upped the decadence of the earlier mashed potato and bacon pizza, while helping us regret our decision to eat so much even more.

Kevin MC's Bagel and Lox Pizza

Ingredients: Smoked Salmon, Capers, Mashed Potatoes and Mozzarella

Breakfast on a pizza was just as good as it sounds. The mozzarella and mashed potatoes provided the creaminess, while the smoked salmon (which turned into normal looking salmon. Thanks a lot, oven!) and briney capers provided the flavor. Also, it taught me an important lesson to check your ingredients when I mistakenly poured fish stock on my slice thinking it was lemon juice (I'm gonna blamed my allergies for not catching the significant difference between the two most dissimilar smelling things in the world).

Danielle's Gluten-Free Pesto Pepperoni Pizza

Ingredients: Pesto, Pepperoni, Mozzarella and Mushrooms

Kudos to the bravery of Danielle for coming to what was essentially a giant gluten bomb. She made hers first in a keen cross-contamination weary move and sought to prove that gluten-free doesn't have to mean boring. Regrettably (since Danielle's cooking has never disappointed), this was the only pizza of the night I didn't sample.

Christina's Nutella Peanut Butter Dessert Pizza

Ingredients: Nutella and Peanut Butter Candy

Christina came prepared with two dessert pizzas. She had us at nutella. The peanut butter and hazelnut combo was just the smooth sugar grenade we needed to help us emerge from our food comas.

Christina's Nutella and Fruit Dessert Pizza

Ingredietns: Nutella, Strawberries, Bananas, Raspberries, Blueberries and Kiwi

Christina's second dessert pizza was even more magnificent than the first. Fresh fruit and nutella are among the greatest pairings known to man, and they delivered on the tasty crust.

Non-Pizza Dessert Corner: Because Why the Hell Not?

Danielle is the queen of gluten-free desserts. These Rice Owl inspired cookies were amazingly crispy chocolate treats that, sandwiched around her amaretto marshmallows (not pictured), made for a killer oreo.

Cory, aside from being an all-star art chemist who is lucky enough to be married to Doughmaster Fresh, is also a cheesecake phenom. Her Amaretto Sour (I'm noticing an unplanned dessert theme) Cheesecake managed to be among the tastiest, creamiest desserts I've ever had despite the law of diminishing returns (read: 15 pizzas) going against it. Somehow, I managed to finish every last bite of my slice including all of the genius crushed almond cookie crust.

The Next Day Pizzas: Because Addiction is Serious

I mentioned earlier that Kevin MC brought 20 pizza doughs. At some point in the evening, we decided to actually listen to our better judgement and stop the madness. Shockingly, Sacha and Maconda found themselves not disgusted by the mere thought of pizza the next day, and they put a few more of those doughs (and, from the looks of it, the mashed potatoes) to good use. I'm starting to worry that they have a problem.

This was one epic night of cooking and eating that may never be topped (and our bodies may never recover from). The night's success was evident by all the happy people unable to move themselves from their seats (but mostly by Sacha and I sprawled out on the floor and sofa, respectively). Despite consuming my body weight in pizza, I still found myself craving it the next day. Unfortunately, all pizza from now on just won't live up to that night.

Thanks again to our gracious hosts and pizza experts for a night like none other!

Los Angeles Pizzanistas: Margherita

No, we did not reassemble the already sliced pizza to take a pic. That'd be crazy.

Before I sing the praises of the latest oven baked Italian odyssey, I want to say that I generally don't like Margherita pizza. Sure it's great to snack on at a Happy Hour, but, in general, it just seems so plain and looks so uninteresting. Plus, I had just ingested the world's most superb realization of cheese and meat and bread coming together to fight for the good of mankind (see: Bacon Jam pizza). My mind was about to be changed.

Pizza Sauce
Courtney's original recipe
Servings: Many pizzas worth
Time: 20 minutes

1 small can (6 oz) tomato paste

1 small can (15 oz) tomato sauce

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp dried thyme

Pinch to 1 tsp salt (depending on if tomatoes have salt)

1/4 to 1/2 tsp pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 small onion, diced

1/2 small carrot or 1-2 baby carrots, grated

Carrots in the sauce. Craziness. 

1. Cook the onions in olive oil until they start to soften, then add in the garlic and cook for another minute or so.
2. Mix in the tomato sauce, paste and spices. Stir to incorporate everything, and cook for 15 minutes to let all the flavors marry.

Since there isn't a whole lot going on in a Margherita pizza, it's base components better be spectacular. This carefully crafted sauce truly brought the winning flavor to our pizza to save it from a drab fate. This masterful sauce isn't just relegated to pizzas, it would also make a welcome addition to any pasta (just thin it with a little water or stock first).

Margherita Pizza

Infused... with awesome!

Pizza sauce (recipe above)

Pizza crust (recipe found here)

Mozzarella

Fresh basil

Garlic and basil infused olive oil

Delicious bubbly cheese. Also, the name of my new Indie rock band.

1. Preheat your oven to 500 F.
2. Heat olive oil and garlic over low heat in a pot for as long as you want (but at least 10 minutes) to infuse the olive oil. Let it come back to room temperature before using.
3. Top your rolled out dough with the ingredients and bake on a pizza stone or oiled cookie sheet for 12-15 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.

Mmm, basily

Fresh basil and giant chunks of mozzarella combined with the fantastic crust and sauce helped make our Margherita pizza one to remember. The true MVP ingredient, however, was the basil and garlic infused olive oil which really made our pizza pop. In the end, I shockingly somehow managed to eat almost equal amounts of both pizzas. Well played, Margherita pizza. Well played.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to order some pizza after writing about it all day and hope that my mind lets me pretend it's the same thing.

Los Angeles Pizzanistas: Bacon Jam

Whenever I head back to Los Angeles, I fall into a near hibernatory state of eating and sleeping and playing with the world's most awesome dogs, Harry and Faye. It would take something special to get me to emerge from my puppy and Lifetime movie cocoon. Fortunately for my taste buds, a chance to make pizza with Courtney and Lars fit the necessary criteria. This past Labor Day weekend (yep, this post is that long in the making), Lars and I sat amazed in Courtney's kitchen as some of the world's most delicious round cheesy foods filled our bellies with glee.

Stand back, Los Angeles, we're going to try pizza!

When Courtney first discussed making pizza, my mouth began to water recalling the several times I was fortunate enough to gorge on it while we were at UCLA together, but then she said two words that would forever change my life: Bacon Jam.

Pizza Crust
From Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
Servings: 4-6 pizzas
Time: 2 hours

3 cups flour
1 tsp (1 packet) yeast
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
1 cup water

It also makes a fantastic face mask.

Can't remember if this is my hand or Courtney's...

1. In a bowl, combine the flour, salt and yeast.
2. Add the water and oil and form a ball.
3. Knead until smooth.
4. Mix in additional flour if the dough is too sticky, or water (1/2 tsp at a time) if it's too dry.
5. Knead your dough ball for a few minutes. Then place it in an oiled bowl, cover it and stick it in a warm place until it rises (1-2 hours). 
6. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and wait 20 minutes or so before splitting it and rolling it out to your desired pizza sizes.

Don't mess around in Courtney's kitchen.

Sometimes less is more, and this fairy basic crust proves that. The barebones approach produces a wonderfully crisp crust that's quite flavorful and really helps compliment any toppings lucky enough to be placed on top of it.

Slow Cooker Bacon Jam

From Martha Stewart

Servings: Enough to make you feel disgusting

Time: 4 1/2 hours

The secret is bacon fat.

1 1/2 lbs sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces

2 medium yellow onions, diced

3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

3/4 cup brewed coffee

Must find a way to bottle the smell or make scratch and sniff pictures.

1. Cook the bacon over medium-high in a large skillet, stirring occasionally until it is lightly browned and the fat is rendered (about 20 minutes).
2. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel to drain, and pour off all but 1 tbsp of fat from the skillet.
3. Add the onions and garlic to the bacon fat and cook until translucent (about 6 minutes).
4. Mix in the vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup and coffee and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up browned bits from the skillet with a wooden spoon for about two minutes.
5. Add the bacon back in and stir to combine.
6. Transfer to a 6 quart slow cooker and cook uncovered on high until the liquid is syrupy (3 1/2 to 4 hours). Run it through a food processor if you want it less chunky and more jam like.
7. Have everyone you know come smell how amazing your kitchen is right now.

I'm still curious how it goes with peanut butter.

Pizza sauce is so cliche. It was time for it to receive a modern day makeover courtesy of loads upon loads of bacon. The natural savory manly bacony awesomeness melds perfectly with the sweetness added to it by the brown sugar and maple syrup for a one of a kind pizza topping. Upon tasting this, I contemplated living a life where I spend my days sitting in a La-Z-Boy recliner eating bowlfuls of bacon jam in a heavily stained white t-shirt (I'm 75% sure you will agree upon tasting).

Bacon Jam Pizza

Bacon Jam (Recipe above)

Mozzarella 

Arugula

White onion, thinly sliced

I'd still eat it raw. It was that glorious

1. Take great pride in the fact you fought off the seduction of the bacon jam's aroma long enough to put it on your pizza.
2. Top your rolled out dough with the ingredients and bake for 12-15 minutes on a pizza stone or oiled cookie sheet until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly

Slice 1 of 50 I would consume that day.

Every single aspect of this, the world's most magnificently fantastical pizza absolutely killed it. The crust was, as previously mentioned, awesomely golden, while the bacon jam brought the sauce possibilities to a dream world like level. As far as cheese is concerned, giant chunks of melted mozzarella wins out over shredded every single time. To round things out, the arugula added a nice pepperiness to each bite. I am now severely regretting waiting so long to write this up because I am now forced to relive the sheer incredibleness from months ago, knowing that there is no more readily available to devour.

My pizza making skills on display. Nailed it (although the bacon jam all but assured victory).

Like me, Courtney is never satisfied making just one thing, so stay tuned to learn about our delectable adventures in Margherita Pizza and Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream.

This Margherita Pizza was facing an uphill battle having to follow the bacon jam.  Stay tuned to find out how it held up.

Grilled Pizzas

For the main course Saturday, we made some fantastic grilled pizzas. We needed something to keep the carb count up after the bruschetta appetizers, so pizza was a natural choice. Grilling is a fairly quick way to make pizzas that also gives it some extra flavor over just making them in the oven like normal. The dough can be a little unwieldy, but luckily Maconda's fiance Sacha has hands the size of my head to help reign it in (List of things smaller than Sacha's hands: Footballs, puppies, Peter Dinklage). First up, we have our non-vegetarian Sausage and Mushroom pizza followed by the vegetarian friendly Margherita pizza.

It's safe to say, Sacha would have given Prince Joffrey a much better lesson.

The oregano is a great addition.

Sausage and Mushroom Pizza


Dough
Pizza Sauce 
Mozzarella cheese
Grilled Mushrooms
Grilled Onions
Ground Italian Sausage, precooked

1. Make the pizza dough well in advance, as it needs about 3 hours to fully form (see the link for a great flatbread dough recipe that I would recommend adding some oregano too).
2. Prep the pizza sauce (again see the link) or buy premade sauce like tomato basil.
3. Heat up a grill and roll out your pizza dough to the desired thickness. Make sure you coat the surface with flour or cornmeal to prevent the dough from sticking and deforming.
4. Place the dough on the grill and cook covered for about 3 minutes or until the bottom starts to brown and puff up.
5. Remove the dough and top the cooked side with sauce, cheese and toppings.
6. Grill covered for another 3 minutes or until the cheese melts and the crust feels crisp.

Ever since I was a kid, I loved a good pizza with mushrooms on it (I think my sister and I are the only two people in the world who crave mushroom and olive pizzas, so we make a wonderful sibling pair.). This pizza was no exception. It's almost like a super tasty burger pizza with the traditional grilled mushroom and onion toppings and a nice sausage to give it a little spice. Kevin's dough was spectacular on its own, but was only made better by basically having a 1:1 ratio of crust to toppings.

Margherita Pizza

Dough

Roma tomatoes, sliced
Basil leaves
Fresh mozzarella rounds

1. Make the pizza dough well in advance, as it needs about 3 hours to fully form (see the link for a great flatbread dough recipe that I would recommend adding some oregano too).
2. Heat up a grill and roll out your pizza dough to the desired thickness. Make sure you coat the surface with flour or cornmeal to prevent the dough from sticking and deforming.
3. Place the dough on the grill and cook covered for about 3 minutes or until the bottom starts to brown and puff up.
4. Remove the dough and layer tomato slices, basil and mozzarella on the cooked side.
5. Cook covered for 3 minutes or until the crust crisps up and the mozzarella starts to melt (you don't want it to be overly melted though).

I was a little concerned about this pizza since it didn't have any sauce to keep it from being too dry. The giant mozzarella slices and fresh tomato end up serving the same delicious function, and the potent basil adds some extra pop into each bite. I was also pleasantly surprised because I'm not normally a fan of margherita pizza, but I think the grilling helped win me over.

It was a great meal by the pool that served to help prepare our stomachs and mouths for the incredible dessert that was about to be unleashed: whoopie pies.