Author Topic: September 2009 Monthly Challenge: "Dessert Pizzas" (Read 12929 times)

Pete-zza · « **Reply #20 on:** September 11, 2009, 03:39:48 PM »

Bill,

I was so impressed with the last Alsatian Apple Dessert that your wrote about, at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,7281.msg62832.html#msg62832, that I added a link to that post to the best pizza photos thread at Reply 5 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,7799.msg67003.html#msg67003. Did you like the most recent one as much as the last one?

Peter

Bill/SFNM · « **Reply #21 on:** September 11, 2009, 04:51:47 PM »

Quote from: Pete-zza on September 11, 2009, 03:39:48 PM

Bill,

I was so impressed with the last Alsatian Apple Dessert that your wrote about, at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,7281.msg62832.html#msg62832, that I added a link to that post to the best pizza photos thread at Reply 5 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,7799.msg67003.html#msg67003. Did you like the most recent one as much as the last one?

Peter

Peter,

I don't think so, but I am impeded by a poor taste memory. If you put 2 pizzas in front of me and ask which one is better - no problem. But if you ask me "is this pizza better than one I ate yesterday or last week or last year?", I really can't answer. I didn't even remember I had posted about this pie previously, but this is a recipe I have been making in one form another for almost 40 years; it comes from the second cookbook I ever purchased: http://extremecookingblog.com/2009/06/another-great-and-unusual-cookbook/

Couldn't find the Calvados today (I suspect the dog might know, but he won't admit he has a problem) and I think that it adds a nice touch. I also didn't dust the top of today's pie with powdered sugar. It is better with the dusting. The balance between the sweetness of the sugars, the tartness of the apple, the smoothness of the cream, and subtle tang of the crust is magical! I really love making this kind of pie. Thanks for picking such a good theme for the challenge.

Bill

Bill/SFNM · « **Reply #22 on:** September 11, 2009, 04:58:50 PM »

Quote from: jeff v on September 11, 2009, 03:23:58 PM

Care to share how you made the pastry cream and how you'd change it? I make a pastry cream with Tuaca that may work, but would love to hear your version.

Thanks, Jeff. The basic recipe:

4T Butter
2.5T Flour
2C Milk
1/2C Sugar
2 Egg Yolks

Heat butter & stir in flour.
Add milk. Stir until you have a thin sauce (I would have cooked longer here for a thicker sauce)
Add sugar.
Remove heat, allow to cool to lukewarm.
Stir in egg yolks.

This sauce, however you use it, is cooked. I have added all kinds of flavoring to this sauce, depending on how I use it: Calvados, Armagnac, orange oil, vanilla, etc.

Bill

norma427 · « **Reply #23 on:** September 15, 2009, 11:15:22 PM »

This is a dessert pizza I made today. I used the NY Lehmann dough recipe. It was made with yellow cake mix, that was mixed with 3 sticks of margarine. Then spread the mixture on the dough and added chocolate chips. On top of that I mixed a strusel and sprinkle it on. After the pie came out of the oven, I added more chocolate chips. Cooled the pie down. It tasted good, if you like chocolate. My granddaughter really loved the pie. Of course she likes chocolate.

Norma

Bill/SFNM · « **Reply #24 on:** September 18, 2009, 02:02:55 PM »

Here's another entry in the dessert category: Griottines (morello cherries in liqueur and kirsch) and chocolate. Powdered sugar on top.

Pete-zza · « **Reply #25 on:** September 19, 2009, 08:29:03 PM »

Bill,

Having had Morello cherry preserves before, and loving them, how did the pizza taste with the Griottines and the chocolate?

Peter

Bill/SFNM · « **Reply #26 on:** September 19, 2009, 08:37:00 PM »

Quote from: Pete-zza on September 19, 2009, 08:29:03 PM

Bill,

Having had Morello cherry preserves before, and loving them, how did the pizza taste with the Griottines and the chocolate?

Peter

Peter,

It was excellent, although some of the chocolate chips burned just a little in the high heat. I did serve some whipped cream with the liqueur of the griottines for a pretty intense experience.

Bill

norma427 · « **Reply #27 on:** September 22, 2009, 11:21:49 PM »

Another Submission: Snitz Pie Pa. Dutch Pie
Dried apples boiled until soft, added brown sugar, margarine on crust, added apples, sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on, sprinkled streusel on top and baked.
Norma

Pete-zza · « **Reply #28 on:** September 23, 2009, 09:33:12 AM »

Norma,

Your pizza looks very tasty. Did you use the Lehmann dough and are you offering the pizza for sale at your booth?

Peter

andreguidon · « **Reply #29 on:** September 23, 2009, 10:36:15 AM »

looks very tasty norma !!

what is streusel ?

iam going to try something like that and serve whit ice cream.....

norma427 · « **Reply #30 on:** September 23, 2009, 12:14:12 PM »

Peter,
Thanks for saying the Snitz Pie looked tasty. The dried apples boiled tasted great. Even a couple of Amish vendors and other people tried it and said it tasted great. Since I am trying different things to sell, I think this one is a keeper to sell. The apples are inexpensive and the other ingredients are inexpensive as well. I was going to try dry cranberries with it too, but didn't want to try too many things at once. Yes, I did use the Lehmann recipe. I have increased my hydration one the Lehmann recipe by 2% and it is giving me a more airy crust.

andreguidon,
The strusel or streusel (don't know which spelling is right) is made by mixing 4 tablespoons butter, 3/4 cup regular flour and 1/4 cup sugar. Just use a pastry cutter and dump all ingredients in and then cut until it is crumbly and fine. I used this strusel on a 16" pie. At the temperature I am baking it doesn't burn. I am baking at about 525 degrees. Serving with ice cream would really taste good. Just like an apple pie with ice cream. The taste of the snitz (dried apples) with brown sugar is different than fresh apples with white sugar.
Norma

andreguidon · « **Reply #31 on:** September 23, 2009, 01:05:08 PM »

thanks norma, ill try this in the WFO... ill post results...

thanks !

Pete-zza · « **Reply #32 on:** September 25, 2009, 11:10:18 AM »

After having an exchange earlier in this thread with November about the Papa John’s Cinnapie and Applepie dessert pizzas, and after seeing Bill/SFNM’s and Norma’s appealing (a-peel-ing?) apple dessert pizza creations, I felt that as a fruit lover I had to take a stab at an apple based pizza. Since I spent so much time in the past making clone Papa John’s pizzas, I decided to make a clone of the PJ Applepie pizza. For that clone, which is a 10” in diameter (like an authentic PJ Applepie pizza), I used an “emergency” PJ clone dough that took only two hours to make. The skin was dressed with an apple topping, a brown sugar streusel topping, and a white icing. Much greater detail is given on my efforts, along with additional photos, at Replies 107/108 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,6758.msg80757.html#msg80757, but the photos below are representative of the final results, which I thought were very good.

Peter

Matthew · « **Reply #33 on:** September 25, 2009, 04:02:10 PM »

Quote from: Pete-zza on September 25, 2009, 11:10:18 AM

After having an exchange earlier in this thread with November about the Papa John’s Cinnapie and Applepie dessert pizzas, and after seeing Bill/SFNM’s and Norma’s appealing (a-peel-ing?) apple dessert pizza creations, I felt that as a fruit lover I had to take a stab at an apple based pizza. Since I spent so much time in the past making clone Papa John’s pizzas, I decided to make a clone of the PJ Applepie pizza. For that clone, which is a 10” in diameter (like an authentic PJ Applepie pizza), I used an “emergency” PJ clone dough that took only two hours to make. The skin was dressed with an apple topping, a brown sugar streusel topping, and a white icing. Much greater detail is given on my efforts, along with additional photos, at Replies 107/108 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,6758.msg80757.html#msg80757, but the photos below are representative of the final results, which I thought were very good.

Peter

Peter,
Picture Perfect & extremely yummy I'm sure.

Matt

norma427 · « **Reply #34 on:** September 26, 2009, 10:00:20 AM »

Peter,
It looks like you did a fantastic job in cloning the PJ's Apple Pie clone. The pie and sticks look delicious. How you reverse engineer different kinds of pizza is amazing.
I am going to try your streusel topping on my Snitz Pie and see how it tastes. I never would have thought about adding oats or dried milk.
Norma

Pete-zza · « **Reply #35 on:** September 26, 2009, 11:38:07 AM »

Thank you, Matt and Norma.

Reverse engineering things like pizzas ultimately comes down to what is often called Form, Fit and Function in technical circles. In the case of pizza, you try to get the shape, thickness, weight, ingredients, quantities, overall "look and feel", and function just right. As I mentioned over at the Papa John's clone thread at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,6758.msg80837.html#new, the hardest part was getting the icing right. Apparently the workers at Papa John's struggle with the icing too, if the photo at http://www.grubgrade.com/2009/09/13/first-impressions-papa-johns-cinnapie-is-incredibly-small/comment-page-1/ is indicative. I still can't see how PJs can apply the icing to the pizza before baking as the PJ description of the Applepie implies: Make a perfect meal even better by finishing it off with our delicious Applepie, featuring our fresh, original dough topped with sweet apple filling and brown sugar streusel, drizzled with white icing and baked to sweet perfection.

With respect to the oats in the streusel topping, if you magnify the photo of the Applepie pizza shown at the PJ website at http://www.papajohns.com/menu/side_applepie.shtm, as I did, you can actually see the oat flakes.

Peter

norma427 · « **Reply #36 on:** September 26, 2009, 03:11:18 PM »

Peter,
I agree with you about the icing not being put on before baking. I have baked, but not professionally for many years and tried all kinds of recipes and can't understand how that icing could hold up to high heat.
I had the same problem when trying different kinds of dessert pizzas. I found that when I added the icing after baking it just melted, too. It takes awhile for the pizza to cool down enough for the icing to stay put.
I had even put my one pizza in the deli case until it cooled down enough and then added the icing. I can understand why workers have problems with the icing.
I don't understand enough about chemicals to see how that could make a difference, but in the end not adding chemicals is better.
Norma

Pete-zza · « **Reply #37 on:** September 26, 2009, 03:57:44 PM »

Norma,

When I was doing my research on the Cinnapie and Applepie pizzas, I found where a PJ franchisee somewhere in the state of Nebraska changed the description of the pizza to imply that the icing for the pizza (Cinnapie in this case) was put on the pizza after baking. Fortunately, I found that reference as I was trying to decide whether to put the icing on the pizza before baking. Even then, it became clear very quickly that the icing--at least my version--still was unlikely to hold up even to the residual heat from baking, as proved to be the case.

The icing that PJ uses appears to be one available from foodservice companies. For example, I noticed a very similar icing formulation at the Papa Gino's website, at http://www.papaginos.com/nutrition.html?topic=ingredients (Cinnamon Stick Icing: Sugar, water, corn syrup, stearic acid, artificial color, agar, salt, potassium, sorbate (preservative), guar gum, pectin, sodium, hexametaphosphate, natural & artificial flavor).

Peter

Bill/SFNM · « **Reply #38 on:** September 26, 2009, 11:09:01 PM »

Peter,

Your apple pie pizza looks delicious. This particular type of pie seems to have hit a chord. Perhaps every September we should have an annual Apple Pie Pizza Challenge.

Bill/SFNM

Pete-zza · « **Reply #39 on:** September 27, 2009, 03:39:26 PM »

Bill,

Thank you. I also agree that dedicating a September Challenge to apples would be a good idea.

I thought that you and other members might like to see what a "real" Papa John's Applepie looks like, as prepared by a local PJ shop where I picked up the pizza around lunch time today. It is a 10" pizza. I noticed that the apple dice were larger than mine and had a pleasant apple taste, but that there were no oat flakes that I could find after poking around the toppings and scrutinizing the pizza with a magnifying glass. The dry topping applied to the pizza on top of the apple topping was light in color and sparsely applied. It did not look like mine. However, Papa John's has another topping, called Cinnamon Spread, so it is possible that PJ franchisees are allowed to use that topping instead of the oat-based streusel topping, even though that would appears to be contrary to the photo of the Applepie pizza that is shown at the PJ website, which, to my eye, appears to show oat flakes (rendered more visible by magnifying the image).

The crust of the pizza was thinner than mine, but as previously noted, I was using an "emergency" PJ clone dough with a lot of yeast that resulted in a very gassy dough after better than tripling in volume. The apple topping also had a pasty texture indicative of the use of flour or some other thickener for the apple topping. As shown in the photo below, the rim of the pizza looks pockmarked. That is because the dough was taken directly from the cooler and very aggressively docked by two separate docking tools (one with short teeth and the other with long teeth) to be able to work with the dough to form a skin. After the pizza was dressed and baked, the icing was applied. That step was done out of my view, but I looked at the pizza just after it was boxed and handed to me and I could see that the icing had already melted and largely disappeared into the pizza.

Overall, the pizza was quite tasty, and for a price of $3.99 (plus tax), it is quite reasonable and will spare one from having to do a lot of work to replicate it at home. The weight of the pizza I purchased was almost 18 ounces just after coming out of the oven (I weighed it in the car).

Peter