Craig's Neapolitan Garage

[TXCraig1]

John,

Seeing your outstanding work, I would say that you are in the same boat as Craig.

Peter

+1

[bakeshack]

Craig, your pies really are some of the best out there and your passion is truly unmatched.  I am always inspired by your work.  It's just too bad that not everyone will have the opportunity to taste them if you decide not to open your own place.

Marlon

[TXCraig1]

Craig, your pies really are some of the best out there and your passion is truly unmatched.  I am always inspired by your work.  It's just too bad that not everyone will have the opportunity to taste them if you decide not to open your own place.

Marlon

Thank you. I feel the same way about your beautiful pies.

CL

[norma427]

Craig,

I sure wish there was a drool icon!  All of your pies look fantastic!  Your passion for making pizzas keeps me inspired to try new things with pizza.

Norma

[TXCraig1]

Craig,

I sure wish there was a drool icon!  All of your pies look fantastic!  Your passion for making pizzas keeps me inspired to try new things with pizza.

Norma

A drool emoticon would be cool. Why don't we have one???

Thanks for the kind words, Norma.

CL

[pizzaneer]

Craig,

I sure wish there was a drool icon!  All of your pies look fantastic!  Your passion for making pizzas keeps me inspired to try new things with pizza.

Norma

not that hard to add icons...  see this howto.  http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?P=b89f7ff8aa0704634c545b131974f35d&topic=18623.msg151764#msg151764

I'm sure there's a array of cooking-inspired icons available.  If not, I could make a few.

[TXCraig1]

This on is pretty good.

[flyboy4ual]

Great pies as usual! 

Scott D.

[pizza dr]

Hey Craig

Wow... I look forward to every weekend that you cook and post.  Unbelievable work... this set of pies to me looks a lot more "lively" and a"rustic" in the most positive way.   Is that just me or did you tweak something? 

Scot

[Kermit]

Once again very nice pies Craig. I'm amazed with your attention to detail, and knowledge of this craft that so many of us seek. Your thread is among the ones I visit most often to gain some information on different methods. What I've learned from this forum is a lot, and it has helped me understanding various processes, and hopefully that will help me reach my goal of one day opening my own place.

But the most significant we all learn from this place is to try to figure it all out. Yes, we can all take a recipe and make a good pie, but the true passion comes when we try to tweak the recipe to gain what we all think is our perfect pie.

So my question to you: Do you feel you have reached your perfect pie? In any case, what do you define as your perfect pie? 

[Don K]

For an artist, perfection is best not quite achieved.

[deb415611]

Very nice!  I really like #4.

craig - do you make your own sausage or do you buy it?

[TXCraig1]

Very nice!  I really like #4.

craig - do you make your own sausage or do you buy it?

Thanks deb!

It was really good. I usually buy Johsonville Sweet italian sausage and add a bunch of fennel seeds, cayenne pepper, and a little balck pepper. I knead it all up together and let it sit in the fridge a few hours before using. It goes in the pie raw.

CL

[TXCraig1]

For an artist, perfection is best not quite achieved.

I have nothing to worry about! 

[TXCraig1]

Hey Craig

Wow... I look forward to every weekend that you cook and post.  Unbelievable work... this set of pies to me looks a lot more "lively" and a"rustic" in the most positive way.   Is that just me or did you tweak something? 

Scot

Yes, Scot. I did a couple things a little different. I got the oven a little hotter, and I had the dough a little cooler.

Thanks!

CL

[deb415611]

It was really good. I usually buy Johsonville Sweet italian sausage and add a bunch of fennel seeds, cayenne pepper, and a little balck pepper. I knead it all up together and let it sit in the fridge a few hours before using. It goes in the pie raw.

CL

thanks Craig

[TXCraig1]

Once again very nice pies Craig. I'm amazed with your attention to detail, and knowledge of this craft that so many of us seek. Your thread is among the ones I visit most often to gain some information on different methods. What I've learned from this forum is a lot, and it has helped me understanding various processes, and hopefully that will help me reach my goal of one day opening my own place.

Thank you very much! I’m glad you find value in it. That is one of my goals for posting what I do each week.

But the most significant we all learn from this place is to try to figure it all out. Yes, we can all take a recipe and make a good pie, but the true passion comes when we try to tweak the recipe to gain what we all think is our perfect pie.

I agree. People have been perfecting pizza for a long time. It’s not likely that we will see a lot of wholesale innovation, but there are countless variables to tweak to maximize your unique situation and taste.

So my question to you: Do you feel you have reached your perfect pie? In any case, what do you define as your perfect pie? 

No. I have not reached perfection, and it might not even be possible. I’ve had a few pies that come pretty close. I see being able to produce consistently great pies as more important than focusing on a single perfect pie.  These are a couple of my best: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,19335.0.html

I give my thoughts on the elements of the perfect pie in this interview:

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2012/01/pizza-obsessives-craig-lindberg-and-his-neapolitan-garage.html?ref=title

CL

[TXCraig1]

Great pies as usual! 

Scott D.

Thank you Scott!

[hotsawce]

That sweet, spicy, salty sausage pie is haunting my taste buds.....want so badly.

Also really want to try that variation on the margherita. Where are you getting the Allepo and Calabrian chile's? Are they fresh or dried or flakes or what?

The pies came out pretty good last night. 61.5%, 3.0%, 1.3%. 24h bulk at 65F, 12h balls at 65F, 12h at 65-77F. Not much I'd change about them. I had the oven running pretty hot, 910F+ on the bricks farthest from the fire. I also kept the dough cool (~74F). In the past couple weeks, I'd been letting it get up into the mid to high 80's. I'm convinced that cooler dough leopards better. I'd noticed this before and have talked to others who have had similar observations.

1) Margherita (with Aleppo pre-bake and Calabrian chilies post-bake)
2) Same pie
3) Asparagus birds nest with mascarpone+blue cheese, Meyer lemon evoo, fresh lemon juice, salt
4) Mozz, dried cherries plumped in brandy, hot fennel sausage, red pepper flakes, local wildflower honey post-bake
5) Mozz, cremini mushrooms (raw), parm, black pepper, white truffle oil post-bake.
6) Tomato, sopressata, mozz, cherry tomato, Calabrian chili oil post-bake
7) Mozz, cherry tomato, arugula, Meyer Lemon evoo, Aleppo, salt
8] Tomato, good anchovies, olive, Calabrian chili oil post-bake
9) Mozz, Brussels sprouts, pancetta, sliced garlic, parm, evoo
10) Margherita (with Aleppo pre-bake and Calabrian chilies post-bake)
11) Mozz, cherry tomato, parm, arugula, Meyer Lemon evoo, fresh lemon juice, Aleppo, prosciutto

[TXCraig1]

That sweet, spicy, salty sausage pie is haunting my taste buds.....want so badly.

Also really want to try that variation on the margherita. Where are you getting the Allepo and Calabrian chile's? Are they fresh or dried or flakes or what?

Thank you! That margherita with Aleppo and Calabrian chilies is probably my all-time favorite pie. I think it is best when you put the Aleppo on the tomato and the Calabrian chili oil on post-bake.

The Aleppo is a dry flake. I get it from the Spice House:
http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices/crushed-aleppo-pepper?utm_source=g-base&utm_medium=shp&utm_campaign=feed

The Calabrian are whole chilies packed in oil. I get them from Taylor's Market - I don't know of any other place selling them unless you want to buy a Kg (buy 3 or 4 bottles at a time so the shipping doesn't eat you up. If you're like me, you'll go through them pretty quick): http://taylors-market.amazonwebstore.com/B000OLBA9A/M/B000OLBA9A.htm

CL