Review: H-E-B MightyCrust Cauliflower Pizza HEB

Gluten free? Perhaps for thee but not for me. Gluten is the magic that makes bread products so wonderful, so I generally make no effort to avoid it. I understand that it can present serious problems for some folks, and some like to minimize carbs, which explains the ubiquity of gluten-free and cauliflower-based products.

I have been especially intrigued by gluten-free pizza items made with a cauliflower crust. How good could it be? The Texas supermarket H-E-B has its own "MightyCrust" branded version, and when I saw the price cut from $6.98 to $4.63, I figured it was time to try one.

Out of the Pizzazz oven

In the world of frozen pizzas, this one is pretty small, just about 9" in diameter. It weighs 9.5 ounces and has 690 calories for the entire pie. As a point of reference, a Digiorno "Rising Crust Supreme Pizza" weighs 29.3 ounces and clocks in at 1,860 calories for the whole pie.

Frozen pizza before baking

The package instructions called for baking at 425 degrees for 9-11 minutes, but I used a specialized circulating pizza machine called the "Presto Pizzazz Plus"to heat it. 

Baking on the Presto Pizzazz oven

This inexpensive machine is capable of cooking a pizza from scratch, but I have found it more useful for baking frozen pies. The Pizzazz did deliver a final product with a crisp bottom and nicely browned top.

I cut the pizza into six small slices, and along with a big salad, it was dinner for two.  

Underside of the crust

The crust is absolutely wafer thin, but not insubstantial. While surprisingly  and pleasantly crispy on the bottom, it was dense and chewy too. The best analogy for the texture would be a Chinese scallion pancake. Notably, I could not detect any taste or aroma of cauliflower.

The uncured pepperoni was standard grade stuff, but it delivered the right note of salty and savory umami. The cheese and sauce, both applied in modest but appropriate proportion, melded into that classic orange surface which adhered pretty well to the crust.

While all the flavors were just about what you expect in a pizza, the texture of the crust is where it differed from ordinary pies. Overall, it was oddly satisfying, but it's best to think of this as a fun pizza-flavored snack more than as a pizza. Perhaps cut it tavern-style into small squares and use as an appetizer.

Overall, pretty solid effort by H-E-B, especially for a pizza coming in under $5. If you're avoiding gluten, you could do lots worse than this pie.

 

Review: Jus-Rol Round & Thin Pizza Crust

With the advent of affordable and portable high-end pizza ovens for home (like the Ooni and Gozney ovens), home-made pizza has evolved a long way from the Chef Boyardee kits of earlier generations or the dormitory staple of English muffin pizzas.

Is there still a market for a middle ground approach for a make-at-home pizza that is better than a frozen pie but not striving to be a restaurant quality Neapolitan pie? The pre-fab "Round & Thin Pizza Crust" roll-out dough from Jus-Rol seems to be addressing that niche.

This inexpensive ($4.99 at Randall's Supermarket in Austin, Texas) cylinder of refrigerated dough offers a thin and relatively healthy palate upon which to build your own pizza. 

Once unrolled with its own parchment-like baking paper, the dough is about eleven inches in diameter, and the entire crust has 600 calories.  You can then choose whatever toppings you like and/or have on hand. Baking instructions are 14-18 minutes at 425 degrees in a conventional oven.

I topped mine with homemade pesto sauce, a mix of cheddar and mozzarella cheese, Chinese sausage, and sliced jalapeno peppers. 

Underside of the crust

The results landed exactly in that middle ground between frozen pizza and pizzeria pizza. The crust was crisp and sturdy, but pretty low on flavor. The combination of garlicky pesto, savory/sweet Chinese sausage, and spicy peppers delivered a nice umami payload, making for a satisfying meal for two.

I prefer a crust that has crispness and an airy structure, so I won't hurry to buy this again. But if you want to minimize the crust calories for crafting your own pizza at home, Jus-Rol is a fine choice. 

Review: Papa's Pizza Oven - Lancaster NY

Our first encounter with “Buffalo style” pizza was a good one. The local newspaper had an article about a pizzaiolo who was getting great social media responses. His pizza shop, very unassuming as you see from the photo, is only 20 minutes away and next to a park where we wanted to go for a walk on a nice day. Of course, we had to check it out. 

Buffalo style characteristics include a crust that is described as bready, fluffy, or spongy, tomato paste-based sauce, lots of cheese, and "cup and char" pepperoni (sliced thin, curl up into a cup shape in the oven’s heat—similar to the upper layer of pepperoni on Detroit style pies).

Papa’s Pizza Oven has four locations in the Buffalo area; the flagship store in Lancaster is take out only and their pies are really large, although you can order a half or even a quarter pie. Their signature pizza seemed to be a "double cheese, double pepperoni" offering, but c’mon!  We went with the full sized pizza, getting pepperoni on one half with sausage and mushrooms on the other half. 

The $29 pie was huge with 12 hefty slices. It could easily feed four hungry people. The sauce, cheese and went all the way to the edges, with no cornicione.

The crust was as described, bready and chewy, but at the same time surprisingly light. It took a bit of attitude adjustment for those like us who savor the thin and crisp pizza at Papa’s Tomato Pies of Robbinsville NJ, but it was very enjoyable. The sauce was a nice balance between tangy and sweet, perhaps a bit more tanginess would be desirable, but still good. 

The cheese was flavorful, but we both felt that 75% of the amount used would have been sufficient. Pepperoni, sausage cooked on the pie (the only correct way), and mushrooms were all good and the amount of each was more than generous. The crust was held up well under the fairly heavy toppings, and, while not charred, it was fully baked, solid and substantial, especially considering its overall lightness. 

Nice browning underneath

We enjoyed our pizza very much (as I said, the pie was quite big, so we will enjoy more of it once, or perhaps even twice, more). It wasn’t the magical experience that one might have upon a first visit to DeLorenzo’s Tomato Pies in NJ, the aforementioned Papa’sTomato Pies, Buddy’s Pizza in Detroit, or The Oakwood Pizza Box in Raleigh NC, but much of that is due, I suspect, to stylistic preferences. It was really interesting to discover a new regional approach to pizza and gratifying to learn that the approach could lead to thoroughly enjoyable results. 

If one reserves “destination pizza” for the best of the best, I would classify Buffalo style, as exemplified by Papa’s Pizza Oven, as “if you are in the area, you really should give it a try.”  

This review is a guest post from the Buffalo Roamers, who are long-time Jersey and Pennsylvania residents recently relocated to the Buffalo NY region. These folks know their pizza!