Pizza

Since we were in Illinois, we've had a craving for pizza. That's because the friends we stayed with, Tom and Harriett, have a nifty new wood-fired pizza oven in their kitchen and made tasty pizzas for us.

I know I can't replicate the real wood-fired result, but still, my electric oven and pizza stones (thanks, Tom, for the idea to use two stones!) can build up enough heat to do a decent job. Here are some of the ingredients:

First, there is the dough. Here, the dough is on its second rise.

Waxy french potatoes were the basic topping of this pie. They were put on top of a white béchamel sauce.

Smokey lardons, or bacon, complement the flavors.

A mix of emmenthal and parmigiano reggiano was sprinkled on top.

Ken took this shot of the raw pie just before the cheese went on.

And, the result. Okay, it's not a great photo, but it was delicious! In fact, we made two and devoured them both with a green salad!

We can't match Tom's pizza, but our pie was pretty good. I would not at all be disappointed if it had been served to me in a pizzeria! Tom sent me some tips on dough making and I already have a few adjustments in mind for my dough technique. I'll keep you posted...