The Pizza Therapy Forum and Pasta Therapy Forum

[RnR]

I have gotten the bug to try to recreate a pizza from my youth in Flint, Michigan. Namely, from the Palace Pizzeria in the former Buick City.

Besides the use of fennel seeds, I recall their pepperoni was - it seemed - smaller in diameter than what is fashionable these days, cupped in shape and strongly flavored.

I am wondering if anyone else has run into this style and perhaps have any insights as to the composition or method of preparation to be used. While I have yet to try, I would think that the Palace's pepperoni may have been lightly pan cooked to induce the cup shape and perhaps induce shrinkage. I understand that pork based pepperoni warps more than most other types, but this is just a tidbit I came across...

When served, there was not the morass of grease puddled in the pepperoni that is found on most mass-market pizza editions out there today and they were also embedded into the mozzarella, not just resting lazily on the surface. A clue that the proprietor had a method and not just a stopwatch, in his thoughts. That is a wonderful thing!

So, any special pepperoni preparation techniques out there?

BTW... I grew up with pepperoni, ground beef and mushrooms as our family's standard topping suite at the Palace... which closed about 30-years ago.

[pizzaprices]

I just finished most of a 12" Tomato sauce, Cheese, and Double Pepperoni. Burp. Somehow one slice of pepperoni got stood up on edge and the grease had drained off and it was on the crunchy dry side. Talk about an altogether different instant taste. I think your pepperoni was probably either pan fried and drained on paper towel or deep fried and allowed to drain over a hot vat. Yes, the pepperoni is sliced much thinner now, it's only about 1/4 to 1/3rd as thick. You can see through the holes now where the fat melted out. Don't be surprised when they roll it out flat between plastic sheets, just thick enough to hold the color and the taste.
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