PizzaHolic67 wrote:Memory is everything....sometimes things aren't as good as we remember.
I made Appian Way a few years ago (not frozen, I know) , but it was horrible. Then I got Kraft Pizza Set from Canada, and it was EXACTLY as I remembered(when it was available in the US in the 70's).
My Mother and her brother made Appian Way pizza at home during the 1950s. It was so prized, there would be bitter fights to make sure they each received the same amount of pizza.
Back in the late 1960s, my Mom bought Appian Way pizza to revisit her memories. I recall the kit consisted of a flour mixture to make the dough, pizza sauce and cheese to sprinkle on. I don't recall it being very good.
My Mom can really sell the idea of these highly prized memories of Appian Way Pizza. Apparently these memories were shared with someone at Culinary Historians, who brought a kit to a meeting. I took it home waiting for the day to make Appian Way Pizza.
Today was the day, when I spied it in the pantry taking up space it did not deserve. I made this pizza with more care than it deserved. I added water to the flour mixture, stirred until it came together, then carefully pressed it into a thin layer of a 12-inch pizza pan. Instead of applying sauce to the dough, I laid out half the pepperoni, slivered peppers and onions. I spread out the mozzarella (there was no cheese in the kit), then laid out the other half of pepperoni, slivered peppers and onions. I then carefully dropped little blobs of pizza sauce all over the surface. My assembly was influenced by Detroit style pizzas.
This baked for 20 minutes in a 450 degree oven, though in retrospect it should have come out earlier. The pizza was brown around the edges and bubbly throughout, it looked far better than it tasted.
This may be first time a crisp pizza may have been too crisp. Mom took a few bites, then pushed her plate away. She then began examining the box wondering out loud how old could this mix be. My Dad finished her portion, then he and I split the last piece.
Lunch was rescued by a large salad, otherwise it was a dud.
I think we have reached the point where there is no more need to buy any more Appian Way Pizza to refresh our memories. I can just read this account back to my Mom instead.
Regards,
Cathy2