We enjoy the pizzas we make and buy but, back in the 80’s, there was a guy who opened a New York Pizza in Napa. We loved it and had it delivered so much the owner showed up at our door and offered to sell us the recipe for 10K. We declined and he fled the country a short time later for whatever reason. There was something about the pizza Carrie and I have been trying to figure out and duplicate. I noticed an unusual spice and she noticed some subtle sweetness. The pizza had a thin crust and olive oil dripped from your slice but the flavors were intoxicating, whether it was a cheese or pepperoni pizza.
We ordered “Joe’s Pizza” from NYC and they were good but those unique flavors weren’t there. I keep thinking nutmeg but Carrie says no. In Googling Pizza Carrie keeps seeing Honey as an ingredient.
Anybody got any thoughts on the spice that put it all together???
I will tell you for 5k.
I associate sweetness in really good pizza to raw San Marzzano tomatoes.
I prefer the sourness of fake ones.
Or, they probably just added sugar to their tomato sauce.
Send me a pizza. If it’s close, we’ll discuss price. (FYI Local lab says they can identify all the ingredients for $500) ![[wink.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/04707e6a7bbb03e0153e349d8a9270d30e1e9525.gif "wink")
a few people add cinnamon…
The next pie we make will be interesting, trying sections with variations of nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and honey.
Lots of places here have been drizzling honey on finished pizzas. Was it that obvious of a sweetness or more background?
It was background. Also read somewhere that you add onion while cooking the sauce, then remove the onion. Adds flavor and some sweetness.
Come to think of it, a New York friend made pasta with sausages one year at Myrtle Beach. The sauce looked like tomato soup in color and thickness. He cooked it for about an hour in a stock pot, then to my surprise, he removed two whole onions and 8 Italian sausages. He didn’t rinse the pasta and the noodles held on to the thin sauce. It was simple and excellent.
Other possibilities: He adds an anchovy. He adds sugar or sugar + red wine vinegar. He adds a whole carrot during sauce cooking then takes that out.
…or just better tomatoes than you’re using. Try the Stanislaus Alta Cucina which are available from restaurant supply or from Amazon.
There is more reading and ideas than you’d ever care to absorb on this subject here: https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?board=44.0
We use honey in our crust. Adds a hint of sweetness as you mentioned.