Happy New Year.
The great Australian side effect of Baby Boomers with too much time on their hands is the backyard pizza oven. I’m certainly not complaining. For all that grief that has been caused by Gen-X being locked out of the managerial class is now being repaid in hot, crusty pizza. Who else has the time to salvage bricks and construct or owns the property to put it on? Who else got so obsessed by Tuscany?
This is the caramelized leek and blue cheese pizza that I shamelessly stole from Y Carusi restaurant in Brunswick, Melbourne. If you’re short on leek, you can always bulk it up with caramelised onion but frankly anything sweet with blue cheese fits on pizza: cooked pumpkin, multitude stone fruits, pears, figs. I’m no purist.
In the background is sopressa, olives and Black And Gold-brand preshredded mozarella. Buffalo mozarella be damned.
Leek and blue cheese, coming fresh from the oven.
Sopressa pizza
The full spread.
January 3, 2009 3:15 pm
I am so jealous. You might try this combo: caramelized onions+red cabbage or onions+roasted pumpkin, blue cheese or gorgonzola, and toasted walnuts. But maybe that’s more a wintertime thing.
January 4, 2009 1:45 am
That is very cool to have a backyard pizza oven…and the results look, well, phenomenal!
January 4, 2009 1:46 am
Just noticed wrong link in my comment…just in case you wanted to visit me.
January 5, 2009 10:28 pm
Aw man… That looks brilliant. I will possibly potentially maybe be in Melbourne in April–can I start designing my pie now?
January 5, 2009 11:30 pm
Austin – I’m not sure that I’ll have my own oven completed by April, but it gives me something to aim at.
Robyn – I do generally put walnuts on the leek pizza or pine nuts if I happen to have any around.
January 9, 2009 7:28 am
Caramelized leeks and blue cheese…the delicious anticipation might send me over the edge! Looks fabulous!
I am hooked on making pizza on cornmeal crust…just a hint of sweetness that goes well with corn and caramelized onions on top.
February 9, 2009 8:59 pm
I love that pizza at I Carusi, but it would be ever better cooked in my backyard! Did you build the oven yourself?
April 3, 2009 6:39 am
Hi!
Your oven design is perfect for my backyard. I would love to build my own oven….can you share a step by step plan with pictures? Thanks in advance.
Pizza lover.
June 12, 2009 3:34 pm
Impressive looking Pizzas… I will certainly be trying caramelise my leeks, being of Welsh descent I think it’s entire appropriate! Beg to differ on the need to own your home though…check out the pizza oven for Gen X – wherever you turn up to scrounge a bed you can bring your pizza oven with you.
October 25, 2009 10:41 am
wow! I’m impressed at the pizza oven. I wish I had a backyard… and the paitence to build one of these. very impressive!