Jun 22, 2016 This one was even better than usual, because I had a cast iron pizza pan right on the grates, creating the perfect surface (making it even more like a brick oven). This post has been kindly sponsored by Kitchen Stuff Plus. If you aren’t familiar, they offer discount prices (yes please!) on great cooking appliances, kitchen gadgets, tableware, barware etc., they’re proudly Canadian (#buylocal!), and their brick-and-mortar shop actually keeps getting voted one of Toronto’s best places to shop. With Canada Day right around the corner, they asked me to create a Canadian pizza with their Lodge Cast Iron Pizza Pan. So I lacquered bacon with gorgeous Quebec maple syrup, and paired it with BC new potatoes and local spring onion fresh from the farmer’s market. Then I added cheese. Gooey fresh mozzarella, then some buttery, sharp blue to balance the sweetness of the maple-bacon. Bacon + blue cheese + something sweet? Divine. Think bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with blue cheese. Do you know how fast those disappear?? So will this. Ok, so the PAN. Well-seasoned and loved, cast iron will last multiple lifetimes. (And even if you don’t treat it well, it’ll come back to great condition with gentle coaxing.) It makes a perfect non-stick surface (sans questionable coatings), it gets screaming hot for an excellent sear, and distributes heat evenly for consistent results. I LOVE IT. Besides making a killer pizza, this cast iron workhorse will without question be used on regular rotation for many uses. Keeping in mind that it turns the grill into an oven of sorts, you can bake things like biscuits right on it with the lid closed (you’ll just need to flip, since there’s no top heat source). You can also use it as a BBQ griddle for eggs and hashbrowns, or to cook foods that easily fall apart (like thin fish filets). Indoors, it doubles as an excellent stovetop surface for making pancakes, multiple grilled cheeses, or flatbreads like tortillas and naan. It replaces a baking stone in the oven for perfect breads. And (my little secret), when preheated and placed under a baking pie it achieves that elusive perfect (never soggy) bottom crust. You can also take it camping because this baby can go straight over the flames or on the coals. Now the pizza. Use your favourite crust recipe, or use this one (which is easy, fairly thin but not super-thin, and has good chew). Prep all of your ingredients and bring them over to the grill so that when you’re ready to make the pizzas, you have everything you need within arm’s reach. Because once the dough hits the pan, it cooks in a flash and requires you to be watchful and organized. Don’t panic if it’s browning too quickly just slide the pizza off the pan back onto the pizza peel while you gather yourself, or turn the heat down to low.
Products featured:
Lodge cast iron pizza pan Epicurean pizza peel Porcelain mini bowls with spoons (and tray, not pictured) Zwilling J.A. Henckels professional paring knife Fluted acrylic wine glasses Zwilling J.A. Henckels stainless steel pizza cutter
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