Mozzarella is my fave. Buy what you like and what you can afford, (fresh, grated, the Polly-O bricks, whatever you like) but stay away from non-fat cheese - it doesn't melt. Use a light hand with the toppings (cheese, veg et al), or else the pizza won't fully cook in the middle. I usually use about 4 ounces of cheese on a roughly 12"-or-so pizza.
We had white pizza tonight with grated mozz and lumps of ricotta scattered on top. Mmm....mmm...good. I've used Pecorino on clam pizza - amazazing.
This is a very, very slippery slope if you are pizza snot like me. Americans are accustomed to the grated low moisture stuff tossed on there. Once my sous asked me how we were going to grate the fresh mozzarella (okay, it was his first real pizza). I just said, we're not grating it we're slicing it. "Crumbles" of this or that kind of annoy me---I did already admit to being a pizza snot just now, right? What I hate seriously are those chain pizzas that develop this orange color after the cheese has melted. That describes 95% of pizzas sold by the slice in NYC. But then I am the pizza snot.
I been moving away from delivery pizza that use mozzerella . I use chunks of gorgonzola and/or slices of fontina. I've also moved away from six or seven toppings in favor of three - let each taste stand out. And simply use crushed tomato instead of factory made "pizza sauce". How much to use is up to your taste buds - maybe 3/4 cup for 10-12".
as for amount...less than what you'd think. I've learned to stop adding when I think I'm halfway done. If I add as much as what I think it'll need I end up with a quarter inch thick layer of melted cheese. I love cheese, but even I have to admit that's too much.
you have to use multiple cheeses. I typically start with whole milk mozzerela, and fresh parmesan. I've added asiago, gouda, cheddar, montery jack, just whatever else I've had in the fridge. I love cheese, and I use at least 3 types on a pie.
I like part skim mozza - available most places and not too greasy, and parma/ parma blend. It usually takes about half a ball of mozz to cover a pizza that size, but if you have leftovers, grated mozz freezes pretty well. Hard cheeses of course (when bought in a block and grated as needed) last a long time.
When I make Neapolitan pizzas I like the little mozzarella balls, called "bocconcini". When I make Americano pizza I like low-moisture pre-shredded mozzarella, I like Sargento brand. For Neapolitan I like 7-10 balls, and for Americano I like a cup to a cup and a half.
I mix sharp cheddar, mozzarella then grate some Parmesan on top when it comes out of the oven. I love cheese and would use about one cup of each, and about 1/4 cup of the parm. More if you like it! :)
I love a simple pizza with some yellow and red peppers topped with Gorgonzola cheese! Add some parm on there too :) I usually have this as a white pizza with a base if garlic infused oil!
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We had white pizza tonight with grated mozz and lumps of ricotta scattered on top. Mmm....mmm...good. I've used Pecorino on clam pizza - amazazing.