Chef Johns Watermelon Pizza Food

CHEF JOHN'S PIZZA RUSTICA

Steps:

• Combine flour, salt, butter, and olive oil for the crust in a large bowl. Blend butter into the flour with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the flour-butter mixture, pour egg into the well, and mix with a fork until egg is mixed in, about 1 minute. Add cold water and mix briefly with a fork. Switch to mixing with your hands and press mixture into a ball. If it seems dry, sprinkle in some more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until dough comes together.
• Transfer dough to a work surface and press into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for at least 1 hour.
• While the dough is resting, combine drained ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, salt, black pepper, beaten eggs, cooked Italian sausage, smoked ham, salami, and pepperoni for the filling. Mix thoroughly until extremely well combined; don't worry about overmixing. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Rub a 9-inch springform pan with olive oil and dust with flour.
• Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut off 1/3 of the dough and set aside for the top crust. Roll out the remaining dough for the bottom crust, using only as much flour as needed, into a 15-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and transfer to the prepared pan. Tuck the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, being careful not to stretch it. Remove any excess dough, dampen it with water, and use it to fill in where needed.
• Transfer filling into the pan, press firmly into the edges to ensure there are no air pockets, and smooth out the top.
• Roll remaining dough into a circle that's slightly wider than the pan. Roll dough onto the rolling pin and transfer to the pan. Position the top crust properly and press to seal it with the side edges.
• Mix egg and water for egg wash together in a small bowl.
• Brush egg wash on top of dough to moisten entire surface. Trim off excess dough if desired. Fold the side dough down from the pan edges onto the top crust and crimp edges with your fingertips until fully sealed. Brush once more with egg wash.
• Place in the center of the preheated oven, and immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake until top crust is a beautiful golden brown, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the ring and let cool another 15 minutes before slicing into wedges.

CHEF JOHN'S WATERMELON AGUA FRESCA

Steps:

• Scoop flesh from watermelon half and transfer watermelon to a blender. Add 2 cups cold water. Place a folded towel on blender lid and blend until liquefied, about 1 minute. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl to remove fibers. Discard fibers left in strainer. Skim and discard excess foam from juice if desired.
• Place sugar and 1/2 cup water into a saucepan over medium heat and stir until water is hot and sugar has dissolved. Turn off heat and let simple syrup cool to room temperature. Stir simple syrup into watermelon juice to taste.
• Pour drink into a 2-quart pitcher and refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes. To serve, fill tall glasses with ice cubes and pour agua fresca drink over ice. Serve with straws.

BUFFALO-STYLE PIZZA

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add tomato paste, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, salt, and sugar. Saute until the tomato paste starts to caramelize on the bottom of the pan, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Pour in water and whisk to combine; bring to a simmer. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces to your desired thickness. Turn off the heat and reserve until needed.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Generously grease a sheet pan with olive oil, rubbing some on your fingers as well.
• Press, stretch, and pull pizza dough until it fills the prepared pan, going all the way to the corners. If the dough stops stretching, let it rest for 5 minutes before resuming.
• Top dough with cooled sauce, spreading all the way to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese and add pepperoni. Place the pan on the stove over a high flame, and slowly move it around to evenly apply the heat, until you hear it starting to sizzle, about 1 minute.
• Transfer into the lower center of the preheated oven and bake until cheese is beautifully browned and pepperoni is charred, about 20 minutes. Slice and serve.

CHEF JOHN'S POURABLE PIZZA

Steps:

• Place flour in mixing bowl with dry yeast, salt, honey, olive oil, and warm water. Whisk together for about 5 minutes. This will be a very thin batter-like dough. Cover and let rise 1 1/2 hours. Dough should be bubbly. Stir with a ladle to eliminate the bubbles.
• Generously oil a cast-iron skillet with olive oil off heat. Pour batter in a squeeze bottle or zip-top bag with a bottom corner snipped. Slowly pour the batter into the skillet starting from the center of the pan and working in circles toward the edge. Try to avoid mixing batter with the oil. If small bubbles of oil appear on the surface, use the tip of a paring knife to gently stir them into the dough.
• Place pan over medium-high heat. Wait for the dough to form bubbles over the entire top surface and the crust starts to dry out a bit. Flip over and continue cooking one side and the next. The bubbly side should be dry and achieve a golden brown color; the bottom should be well browned, about 4 to 5 minutes total per side. Doneness times will depend on how thickly the batter was poured. Remove from heat.
• Spread with pizza sauce and top with your favorite pizza toppings: mozzarella cheese, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, pepperoni, etc. Try to avoid topping too heavily.
• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Place pizza under broiler until toppings are cooked, 3 to 4 minutes.