In the last week, I have learned three very interesting things.
#1. Pizza cooked on the BBQ is amazing.
I recently bought an Emily Henry pizza stone. I was intrigued to see that the stone could also be used on the BBQ and last Friday I finally got around to trying it out.
(a side point: lighting a BBQ is so much fun.)
Basically, cooking pizza on the BBQ is pretty similar to cooking it on the oven. You light the coals. Once the coals are nice and hot, you put the cold pizza stone down, close the lid and let the whole thing get really really hot. Then you slide the pizza dough onto the stone, put the lid down and it's all cooked in about 10 minutes.
I did two toppings: onion, capsicum and spinach on a tomato base...
..and onions, capsicum and fetta on a pesto base.
The dough is from Gwenyth Paltrow's cookbook Notes from my Kitchen Table. I picked that recipe because it is specifically designed for Gwenny's outside pizza oven (a great investment that she recommends everyone should get). I know everyone laughs at Gwenyth Paltrow but every recipe I have made from that book has been amazing and this pizza dough was no different - it was really delicious.
The first pizza got annihilated in about four minutes.
The second one was eaten a bit more slowly. It was my favourite - the pesto base was divine!
I did make a few mistakes with this one. I left the coals in a pyramid, which is what I usually do when cooking a BBQ so you can put the stuff that needs a higher heat in the middle and the stuff that needs a slower heat on the outside. This is not the best setup for pizzas, which need an even heat. You can't see it in these pictures but the very middle of the base is overcooked while the edges are perfect. I also should have let the BBQ preheat a bit longer - the second pizza was definitely cooked better than the first one. Even with these mistakes, the pizzas were amazing. I will definitely be making these again very soon.
#2: Souffles are not hard and are very delicious.
After spending last week cooped up inside my house working, I was going a bit crazy. Sam took pity on me and on Saturday night whipped up Donna Hay's chocolate souffle. He is not a baker - this might have even been the first thing he's ever baked! - and it was amazing.
It was not eaten but devoured. Yum yum yum yum yum.
#3: Target opens at 8am.
If you arrive at Target at 8am, you will be the only person in the store who doesn't work there. It will feel creepy and strange but at the same time will be the single best shopping experience of your life.
Now, back to work!
