::pop-up general store::
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Our new website is finally up! We were using this blog as a temporary way to distribute information about Pop-Up General Store, so now that we are all set to go with the new website, we'll no longer be posting here. If you want to catch up with us, check things out over at www.popupgeneralstore.com
Thanks!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Recipe Ideas and Cooking Instructions for September 15th Pop-Up
Tips for a successful pizza!
Take the dough out of the refrigerator an hour before you want to use it. Form it into a ball by placing it on a work board, and cupping your hands around it, use a circular motion and the tension formed by rolling on the work surface to form the ball. Transfer it to a lightly floured surface, dust the top with flour and cover with a towel. Let it rest for an hour to relax the gluten. Preheat your oven with a pizza stone to 450 degrees. Generously sprinkle a flat pan or pizza peel with semolina and set aside. You will be assembling the pizza on this.
Generously flour a work surface and dust the top of the dough ball with flour. To form the pizza you can either roll it briefly with a rolling pin, or stretch it by hand, or a combination of both. I recommend by hand as this will teach you how to handle the dough. Begin by dimpling the dough with your fingertips, leaving about an inch at the edge for the crust. Pick up the dough and using your fists, start from the middle and gently stretch the dough, working outward, to an even thinness. Don’t worry about the shape, it will look beautiful when you take it out of the oven.
Transfer to your semolina sprinkled pan. While you are assembling the pizza, check a few times that the dough isn’t sticking to the pan by gently wiggling it. The pizza dough should slide readily on the semolina. If you have a sticky spot, just lift the dough a bit and toss some more semolina under the sticky spot.
A good base for the bottom of the pizza is a mixture of finely minced garlic in some good olive oil slathered on. Top your pizza with whatever makes you happy, but resist “loading” the pizza, a light touch with the toppings is best.
Slide your pie onto the preheated stone in the oven and bake, rotating for even brownness until desired doneness. You can use a pizza peel or metal spatula to lift the pie a bit and check the color of the bottom to help guide you. This should take about 15-20 minutes. However, pay more attention to how the pie looks while it’s baking, rather than the time. All ovens are different and baking times are merely guidelines in many cases, nothing more.
Slide finished pizza onto a cutting board, brush the crust with olive oil, slice it up and get to it!
Happy pizza making!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Amy Cakes: Cupcake Perfection
The great thing about cupcakes is their ability capture all the best parts of cake--all in a smaller, less guilt-inducing portion. with maximum frosting to cake ratio. And voila! A few bites of heaven.
Amy Hatwig, a core member of the Bakesale Betty team, and founder of Amy Cakes, knows how to take these phenomenal goodies to the next level. This week, she is offering two of her most delicious flavors: Chocolate with Chocolate Ganache, as well as Banana with Whipped Crème Fraîche. As cute as they are, once you try one, you'll be glad they come by the half-dozen!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Pizza Politana: Neapolitan wood-fire oven
And after the oven, everything else stays local-- Pizza Politana uses organic, seasonal ingredients from farmers and artisan producers in the area. Come by Pop-Up this Wednesday (September 15th, 5-7pm, Grace Street Catering) to try a slice-- or a whole pie.
For the first time this week, you can also take home their signature pizza dough and try your hand as a pizzaiolo. Pre-Order your dough before 1pm today, and then start brainstorming about what other goodies you'll toss on top!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Mike the bejkr: Artisan Bread
What is more basic, and more essential, than a loaf of bread? As a true canvas for flavor, a great slice of bread can feature a favorite cheese, make a phenomenal sandwich, be topped with the season's best vegetables, or simply be eaten with a generous slather of good butter. While the possibilities are endless, they all start with a good quality loaf of bread.
We love Mike [the bejkr] Zakowski's bread, and we are so excited to feature three of his unique loaves, both for pre-order and for direct sale this Wednesday. Try his Pain de Campagne, a rustic country miche including rye and spelt flour. There's also his Pain Biologique, a hearty whole grain seed loaf including hemp, sesame, flax, and pumpkin seed. Not to be missed, his Farro Spezzato Batard is a delicious whole wheat bread with cracked spelt. Whatever you do with your bread, when it's this good, it's almost impossible to go wrong...
Friday, September 10, 2010
Blue Chair Fruit: Preserving the Season
Available for Pop-Up pre-order for the first time, Blue Chair Fruit will be offering duo packs of their jams: Dolly Plum Jam and English Three-Fruit Marmalade. Even if you don't pre-order, make sure to stop by and see them during Wednesday's Pop-Up, as they'll be offering wider variety of delicious flavors (will it be Strawberry-Rose? Early Girl Tomato and Plum?).
Perhaps most exciting of all, Rachel has written her first book, The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook! Set for release September 21st, the cookbook offers more than 100 original jam, jelly, and marmalade recipes. Her creative, modern, and sustainable approach is a must-have resource for home and professional cooks everywhere. You can now pre-order signed copies of the book directly from their website!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Pop-Up General Store next Wednesday, September 15th
We wanted to let you know that we'll be popping up next Wednesday, September 15th!
Next week, we'll be offering some of our favorite foods, including Spicy Calabrian Sausages, perfect for grilling. We'll also be making Heirloom Tomato Sauce and Fresh Bronze-Cut Rigatoni.
We're also happy to share with you offerings from several of our friends: Soul Food Farm, Becker Lane Organic Farm, Peko Peko, Ghost Town Farm, Amy Cakes, ebcb, Katz, Four Barrel Coffee, Pizza Politana, Mike [the bejkr], Devil's Gulch Ranch, Grace Street Floral, Chris Weiss, Studebaker Pickles, and Blue Chair Fruit.
Pre-order and pay for your items, then come visit our pop-up location in the historic Temescal streetcar depot that houses Grace Street Catering. We'll be there next Wednesday, September 15th from 5pm to 7pm awaiting your arrival! We'll have lots of extras for sale, so feel free to pop in even if you don't place an order!
Don't forget your reusable shopping bags! And please remember, for day-of purchases, we can only accept cash or checks at this time.
Best,
Chris & Samin
For Pre-Orders: Place your order and pay online by Monday, September 13th at noon. When you click on the link above, it'll take you to Page One of the order form--make sure to scroll down to the bottom and click over to Page Two to see everything we're offering!
Please note that your order will not be considered complete until you pay with a credit card. You'll know everything went through when you receive an automated confirmation email.
At the Pop-Up, proceed to a different line on the side of the building facing 47th Street. Volunteers will pull up your order and assemble your purchase!
For Day-Of Purchases: You can now pay each individual vendor for your purchase, instead of paying at a general cashier. Vendors will take both cash and checks (made out to Pop-Up General Store)!
Parking: Please keep in mind that the Pop-Up General Store occurs in a residential neighborhood with limited parking. While we are working on securing a nearby parking lot for future Pop-Ups, at this time, only street parking is available. We encourage you to be respectful about where you choose to park so as to not disturb our neighbors.