Author Description

Recipes for homegrown pies from all regions of the country. Chef Craig Priebe has scoured the countryside, stopping in promising pizzerias to discover the tastiest pies. Smoked ham and cheddar? Roasted cauliflower and salsa verde? These toppings would be blasphemous in Naples, but in America anything goes--anything that tastes delicious, that is. His findings are collected here--stellar examples representing every style of pizza. What makes this collection of prize recipes especially fun is that each one has its own personality reflecting its local influences. From Seattle's Serious Pie comes pizza with white bean puree, asparagus, and Parmesan; from Los Angeles's Mozza, squash blossoms with burrata. The legendary Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix offers up a pie with red onion, rosemary, and Arizona pistachios, while Louisiana Pizza Kitchen brings us one with crawfish Etouffe. Also included are blueprints for every type of dough (from Sicilian and sourdough to New York and gluten-free), a range of adaptable base sauces, an introduction covering tools and techniques, and an address book for all the pizzerias featured. The United States of Pizza shows that the country is not so much a melting pot, but instead a giant pie bubbling over with a fabulously diverse array of creative flavor combinations.