Today’s the day! Our cookbook, The United States of Pizza: America’s Favorite Pizzas, from Thin Crust to Deep Dish, Sourdough to Gluten Free, is officially for sale.
I’ve had my copies of for a few weeks now, so it’s kind of anticlimactic yet exciting at the same time. I’ve already thumbed through the book alone and with excited friends as they ooh and ah and point. I’ve taken it to my exercise class to show off, and in general, carried it around and waited impatiently.
Now I can celebrate by showing you three gorgeous photos by Jeff Kauck, and sharing three pizza recipes created by chef Craig Priebe, a master of taste, texture and insane deliciousness. See more about the book in this video.
Rizzoli is known for making gorgeous art books, so Craig and I feel very fortunate. I hope you will pick it up if you see it in a bookstore. Run your fingers over the embossed title on the cover. Inside, you’ll see clean, colorful photos with strong prop styling. Toni Tajima, our freelance designer, echoed the slate and blue-grey theme in the design. She used bold red titles in all caps for contrast and a chalkboard theme, which compliments the dramatic photography beautifully.
When it comes to pizza, chef Craig is relentless, making recipes over and over to get them to the best textures and tastes. He owned an award-winning Atlanta pizza restaurant and won many awards at national pizza competitions. For this book, he investigated pizzas made around the USA and chose the best in the nation.
Our book is organized by doughs, from Naples to gluten-free, and I learned to make them all. It was my job to write and test the recipes. You can imagine how popular I was, making pizzas for six months straight. They included a mac and cheese pizza, deep dish pies stuffed with meat and sausage, and the classic thin crust and New York pizzas. If you’ve ever wanted to be a collaborator, read this interview about how it works.
This cookbook, The United States of Pizza, is our second collaboration. Our first, Grilled Pizzas & Piadinas, came out in 2008 and it’s still going strong.
Here are three of Craig’s pizza recipes to enjoy:
Rest assured that people visiting Mount Rushmore in spring, summer, or fall can get flavorful pizza at Big Time. Thousands of campers, hikers, and vacationers come to this scenic area each year, expecting to find great beauty and tranquility in nature. They are pleasantly surprised to find great pizza, too, among the rocky cliffs and mountainous terrain. Big Time means big flavor, as in this spicy Buffalo Chicken Pizza, which just might melt the ice off that South Dakota winter. In the meantime, you can enjoy it from the comfort of your own kitchen. — Craig Priebe
For the Buffalo Chicken Pizza recipe, click here.
I had never come across a duck pizza until I found Roberta’s. This pie features duck prosciutto, Brussels sprouts, and Chandoka, a Wisconsin cheese made from goat and cow’s milk. It is similar to Edam or a goat’s-milk Gouda. Order duck proscuitto online, or if you’re feeling ambitious, cure your own. It tastes like duck bacon, and the fat melts into the brussels sprouts, giving them a rich, slightly salty edge. The balsamic syrup is my addition, just a little splash to add more tang. If you can’t find Chandoka, substitute white cheddar, preferably made with goat’s milk.— Craig Priebe
For the Darkwing Duck Pizza recipe, click here.
Santarpio’s is an East Coast institution, and has been serving Bostonians since 1903. The place is filled with thick Boston accents and Frank Sinatra on the jukebox. The pie features jumbo shrimp slathered in rich garlic butter on a bed of fresh mozzarella. Shrimp scampi is an Italian-American dish in which shrimp are baked in garlic butter and nestled under a bed of breadcrumbs and cheese. It’s all that and more on a pizza.— Craig Priebe
For the Shrimp Scampi Pizza recipe, click here.
If you’d like to win a copy of our book, enter this giveaway on the Cookbook Junkies.
** Note: The dough recipe is missing a few words. It should say “like bubblegum.” I’m working to get this fixed.
(Disclosure: This post includes sponsored links.)
