After my recent food-scouting mission to Aylmer, I told you about Aux Deux Frères in the old town. On a Saturday morning, the three-year-old bakery had the atmosphere of a community hall; neighbours were gathered on the porch chatting and drinking coffee, swapping tips on planting garlic and chives. A few of them told me to come back at 11:30 a.m. when the pizzas would be coming out of the oven. I peeked inside the kitchen where three young men were tossing around caramelized onions and artichoke hearts with a technique worthy of Jackson Pollack. I had another rendezvous that day so I had to arrange a return trip to Aylmer just for pizza later in the week.

The pizza toppings are all vegetarian, but fully loaded on every slice in a way that makes them behave like meat; hearty and satisfying. Suffice it to say it’s a hungry-person’s slice of pizza — a big thick, chunky rectangular wedge. The long-fermented dough, which is the same kind used to make the bakery’s baguettes, becomes a wonderful thick, dense, chewy crust. More importantly, it’s strong enough to withstand the overload of chunky vegetables and many, many fistfuls of cheese. (more…)