Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart

  By Guest Columnist Caleb Schiff Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about balance and pizza. A Neapolitan pizza, for example, is best summarized by the short description: “Fresh ingredients on good bread.” It’s really a simple concept. Yet, because of the focus on the basics, the room for perceived-error is small. Other pizza styles that may be heavily topped or have many components can hide inconsistencies in the dough…Read More…

During the week of January 31st, look for the following new postings: –On Thursday we’ll return to Pizzeria Mozza for another Webisode segment to see how that wonderful LaBrea Bakery dough gets transformed into gorgeous pizzas by Pizzaiolo Matt Molina, under the guidance of Nancy Silverton. –On Peter’s Blog, posting on Tuesday, some news about the growing number of wood-fired caterers and how you can track them down for your…Read More…

You can never have too much of this in reserve as there are many dishes with which it can be used. However, my favorite application is on top of focaccia. It takes about an hour to make so don’t wait till the last minute if you plan to use it that day. It will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator (and for months in the freezer) so…Read More…

Here we are, at the famous, original LaBrea Bakery (not the facility that makes all the par-baked bread that is shipped across the country and sold at supermarkets, but the one that Nancy Silverton founded to serve the people and restaurants of Los Angeles). It takes a bakery to make all the dough required by a place as popular as Pizzeria Mozza because they produce anywhere from 500 to 700…Read More…

Hi Everyone, Things are moving fast and furious, so here are a couple of updates: On Wednesday I’ll post a new recipe, this time for one of my favorite toppings, balsamic onion marmalade. This is one of the most popular recipes I’ve ever developed and has appeared in at least three of my books. I have a new trick or two to add this time around and will give you…Read More…

Perfect timing! My wife, Shanna, and I went wine tasting with a few friends this weekend.  It was a long planned trip up to Malibu Wines where they have an outdoor tasting room with picnic tables, live music and a beautiful setting in the Santa Monica Mountains off Mulholland Hwy.  We were lucky that we had a little local global warming this weekend, as it’s been quite cold here in…Read More…

Perfect timing! We went wine tasting with a few friends this weekend.  It was a long planned trip up to Malibu Wines where they have an outdoor tasting room with picnic tables, live music and a beautiful setting in the Santa Monica Mountains off Mulholland Hwy.  We were lucky that we had a little local global warming this weekend, as it’s been quite cold here in sunny California. I thought…Read More…

Join Norma on her one woman quest to learn how to master the craft of pizza. She shares her adventure and her growing knowledge, with lots of photos!!

One woman’s quest to master the craft of pizza. Follow Norma as she shares her adventure and her accumulated knowledge.

  Note to readers: This is an excerpt from my book, American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza (Ten Speed Press). This recipe is one of my most requested and I think it rivals any pesto recipe I’ve seen or tried anywhere. Let me know what you think when you try it. When I first discovered pesto about 35 years ago I thought the heavens had opened and revealed…Read More…