Tag: cast iron skillet

Detroit-Style Pizza – This "Rock City" Pizza Rocks

The next time you hear people arguing about whether Chicagoor New York has the best pizza, politely interrupt them, and make sure they know about Detroit-style, since it really should be part of the discussion. And by discussion, I mean heated argument.

Even though Detroit-style pizza is often referred to as “deep dish,” I don’t think that accurately captures the essence of this crispy, crusty, crazy-good slice. It has flavor elements of a slightly charred, blistered, thin-crust pizza, with the texture of light, airy focaccia. Plus, if you use the properly shaped pan, the edges of your crust get wonderfully crunchy, making for a very unique experience.

If you can’t get the classic 14” X 10” Detroit pizza pan, you can also use a 12” cast iron skillet, although you may need to not use quite as much dough, since I forget how much surface area that has, but it should be close. You can also use two 8” X 8” metal cake pans, but no matter what you go with, be sure it’s at least a few inches deep, otherwise things could get ugly.

Since I’m new to this style of pizza, if you’re from Detroit, please let me know how close I got, and if there’s anything obvious I’m missing. I know I needed more, and thicker, pepperoni, but other than that, I was really happy with how this came out, and hope everyone gives it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one 14×10 Detroit-Style Pizza:

For the dough:

1 cup warm water

1 package dry active yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 1/2 cups bread flour

For the sauce (you’ll have a little extra):

one (24-oz) jar marinara sauce

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 teaspoon garlic powder

The rest:

8 ounces sliced pepperoni

12 ounces brick cheese (I used 8 oz. of Monterey Jack and 4 oz. of cheddar)

Detroit-Style Pizza – This "Rock City" Pizza Rocks

Ingredients for one 14×10 Detroit-Style Pizza:

For the dough:

1 cup warm water

1 package dry active yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 1/2 cups bread flour

For the sauce (you’ll have a little extra):

one (24-oz) jar marinara sauce

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 teaspoon garlic powder

The rest:

8 ounces sliced pepperoni

12 ounces brick cheese (I used 8 oz. of Monterey Jack and 4 oz. of cheddar)

Red Onion Gratin

I love all members of the onion family, from shallots and green onions, to leeks, Vidalias, Maui, and just plain old reds. I’m always looking for ways to cast them in the leading role, rather than burying them in the first few steps of a recipe. Onions are cheap and healthy, and so good tasting, they deserve better. Red Onion Gratin is a simple side dish that’s fancy enough for company, and goes with just about any meat, chicken or fish. I’d say it’s absolutely made to have with a good steak.

This gratin looks nice and rustic in a skillet, but you can use any gratin or baking dish you have. Allow two or three slices of onion per person. I used all red onions, but you can easily use white, or a mix. Sweet onions like Vidalia or Maui would be great, too.

Giving the onions a quick grilling not only gives them extra smokey flavor, but it softens them a little so they don’t need too much time in the oven. The beautiful grilled slices get laid out over a basic sherry laced bechamel cream sauce, and then covered with Gruyere and fresh breadcrumbs.

What You Will Need

2 red onions
olive oil for brushing
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1 Tbsp all purpose flour
2/3 cups heavy cream
3 Tbsp dry sherry
salt and fresh cracked black pepper
dash of nutmeg (I grate mine fresh)
handful of fresh thyme
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs

Instructions

Set oven to 400F
Peel and thickly slice the onions.
Heat a grill pan until quite hot, and brush the onion slices lightly with olive oil. Grill the slices for a minute or two on each side so that they get slightly softened and have nice grill marks. Set them aside.
In a saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp of the butter over medium heat, and stir in the flour. Cook for a minute, stirring constantly. Pour in the cream and sherry and whisk until smooth. Stir constantly while the mixture comes up to a simmer and is thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste and the dash of nutmeg.
Pour the sauce into a cast iron skillet or gratin dish. Arrange the onion slices over the sauce.
Sprinkle the cheese evenly over all.
Stir the breadcrumbs together with the last tablespoon of melted butter, and a little salt, pepper, and a few thyme leaves. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the cheese,
Bake for about 20 minutes until browned and bubbling. You can run the gratin under the broiler at the last minute if you want extra browning,

Notes

2.2

http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/2013/12/red-onion-gratin.html

*Recipe from [The View from Great Island|http://theviewfromgreatisland.com] All images and content are copyright protected. If you want to use this recipe, please link back to this page.