Super Bowl XLIV: new pizzas (Feb. 16, 2010)

Back by popular (at least word of mouth) demand, two pizzas in honor of the Super Bowl.  New Orleans was easy--great food culture, easy to parlay into pizza toppings, etc.  Indiana was certainly harder.  What food do we associate with the Hoosier state?  Mind you, this isn't me (a guy living in Michigan, after all) taking pot-shots at Indiana:  it's just not a state known for its cuisine.  Maria and I divided things up, with Maria taking on the task of the New Orleans toppings and I the Indiana toppings.  New Orleans is a combination of Andouille sausage, sun-dried tomatoes and shrimp, along with some Cajun spices.  This works remarkably well.  You may be able to infer from this picture that we cooked the shrimp separately, as the pizza grilled, and tossed them on at the last minute:



For Indiana, I choose three of their top agricultural products: pork (bacon), corn and blueberries, along with a tangier Fontina cheese.



Now, I know what you're thinking:  "blueberries!?  On pizza???!?!?"  Frankly, you'd be surprised how sweet fruit interacts with more savory elements.  One of our favorites around here is sliced grapes with bleu cheese, an extraordinary combination.  You want to avoid the sort of dessert-with-dinner-on-a-pizza effect and go for something that blends the flavors, creates a balance and interaction.  The sweetness of the corn melded nicely with the blueberries; along with them, the bacon and the fontina together created a sort of trio of tastes.  I need to turn to my 80 year old, vegetable-hating mother-in-law for a testimonial who took them both for a blind taste test.  She loved the taste of the Indiana pizza, though was stumped by the ingredients, which I think speaks to the way the tastes came together.

We loved 'em both and because of the ample pre-game snacks ended, had left-overs we all agreed were great the next day as well.  As much as we liked it, I don't think any of us would have chosen the Indiana pizza over the New Orleans pizza.  New Orleans wins again.