Although Molly Berlin’s bat mitzvah isn’t scheduled until April 2007, she’s already begun campaigning: She doesn’t want a fancy Saturday night party, she wants her parents to buy her a horse. And she’s serious!
Her brother Zachary had a huge bash after his bar mitzvah — the kids on one side of the room, the adults on the other, and the disc jockey in the middle, imploring everyone to get up and dance. The unwritten rule — no generational overlap — disappeared as soon as the DJ began spinning spirited rock ‘n’ roll tunes. The elders rushed toward the dance floor, anxious to jitterbug and swing. The kids watched, but held back.
The boys — reportedly too busy to dance — were acting silly, scarfing mini-pizzas and chicken strips and mixing messy ice cream sundaes. But the young ladies, self-conscious at first, finally joined the elders, and began twisting and twirling each other around the dance floor. The boys never did join in.
Right after the Saturday morning ceremony, Alyssa’s parents, Peggy and Ron Garcia, hosted an oneg Shabbat and lunch for all their friends and family. But the night belonged to Alyssa.
Unlike the bar and bat mitzvah parties of my youth — often like miniature weddings, where barely a dozen preteen friends and a smattering of cousins ate grown-up food, mingled and danced awkwardly among a sea of elders — today’s parties honor the bar- or bat mitzvah peer group. After all, whose celebration is this anyway?
Since pizza is most teenagers’ favorite food, how about doing something original? Anybody up for a bar mitzvah pizza-making party?
Talk about a practical skill to take into the teenage years. It’s a joyous, bonding experience as the guest of honor leads off by making the first pizza, then gets to watch, instruct, kibitz and comment, as all the friends take a turn. Instead of a disc jockey urging everyone to dance, a pizza maven will teach the teens how to assemble the flatbread of our ancestors. Even though a Neapolitan baker is credited with inventing the popular snack, Israelites baked flat, unleavened bread in rustic mud ovens, then covered it with a topping of their choice.
The father of the bar/bat mitzvah can spin the tunes; the mother can oversee the event.
Boys enjoy the activity as much as girls and are often more creative pizza-makers because they’re not so worried about being perfect, says chef Rory Trovato, who has held many a pizza-making party for her children.
Author of the book “Dishing with Style,” she assures us that that the Neapolitan pizza pie is very forgiving. The innovative mother of two does not like predictably round pies. Instead, her organically shaped “Pizza Margheritas” billow out at the edges, and she urges kids to form their dough into animals, stars or whatever they wish to create. They can even cut pizzas into tiny squares to trade with friends.
“When hosting a pizza party, organization is key,” says baker Peter Reinhart, author of “American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza.” He believes in mise en place, or having all the ingredients prepared in advance and everything in its place before cooking.
Although we recommend buying prepared pizza dough, if you must make it from scratch, assemble it the day before and divide it into balls big enough to make two individual pizzas. Leaving it in the refrigerator overnight actually gives it more flavor, Reinhart says.
When ready to assemble the pizzas, remove only as many as you need.
Essential tools: Pizza stone, wooden baker’s peel, rimless baking tray or very wide spatula, long-handled tongs, roller-style pizza cutter or large sharp knife, zester or cheese grater, rolling pin. If making dough, you’ll need an electric mixer with a dough hook or a food processor.
The table: Set one large table or several smaller ones with washable tablecloth, necessary tools, cheeses and graters, bowls of sauces and toppings, and condiment oils in small jars with metal spouts so guests can assemble pizzas easily. Divide tasks into stations — a dough-making area to roll, stretch and shape the pizzas, a pizza topping area for making pizzas, and another for cutting and serving them after they’re baked.
Tips for assembling pizzas: The oven should be heated to 550 degrees at least a half-hour before making the pizzas. Assemble pizzas just before transferring them to the oven. Liberally flour the pizza peel. Keep pizzas loose on peel, making sure the end of it is clean so pizzas will slide off easily on to the pizza stone. Brush raw dough with olive oil, then the tomato or pesto sauce, then the toppings (many prefer cheese last), which are all at room temperature. Don’t overload the pizza or when you slide it on to the stone the toppings may spill over and stick to the stone. Don’t have any ingredients that are too watery or juicy or the pizza will end up soggy. Check pizza after 10 minutes; if it’s not browned enough, bake 1 to 2 minutes longer until cheese is bubbling. Work quickly; pizza dough is impatient.
Topping Ideas: Thick tomato sauce, pesto sauce, variety of cheeses (mozzarella, parmigiano-reggiano, and gorgonzola or goat cheese), sautéed or caramelized onions and garlic, sautéed mushrooms including cremini and portabella, sautéed or roasted peppers (red, yellow, orange or green), Kalamata or oil-cured olives (pits removed), anchovies, roasted purple or yellow potatoes, sun-dried or oven-dried tomatoes, sautéed radicchio.