Pizza With Caramelized Onions, Figs, Bacon and Blue Cheese

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Sometimes the best recipes come from people who don't cook.  Case in point is my friend Silvia who can't cook but surely knows how to order.  Every time we go to a restaurant,  no matter where in the world, I always end up wishing I had ordered what is on her plate.  She's smug about it,  and practically makes me beg to get a taste of what I wished I had ordered.  She's the one who introduced me to grilled vegetables as an appetizer, hanger steak and potato and sweet potato puree, all favorites now;   and started ordering thin pizzas for lunch and  Veuve Cliquot for cocktails long before they were on my radar.  But then again, she has always been a fan of my cooking and a great buddy with whom to give a dinner party.  The Sous Chef could certainly learn a thing or two from Aunt Sil!

This is one of the recipes she shared with me when I told her I had started baking my own pizzas.

The pizza dough recipe is from Mark Bittman and can be made at the blink of an eye.  You can also purchase ready made dough from Publix Markets, Trader's Joe's or your favorite pizzeria.  Take a look at the video, though, it comes together in no time;   but make sure you buy the quick rising yeast.

Chorizo, Mushroom, and Cheese Pizza

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I have never been a pizza lover until I moved to our house on the lake.  The idea of a greasy, cheesy, rubbery piece of dough with mediocre tomato sauce on top has never wet my appetite, that is, until I discovered two things.  One was the ready made pizza dough in the bakery department of the local Publix store and the other the Emile Henri pizza stone which I featured as a Christmas gift a couple of moths ago.

Eating a home baked pizza is unlike anything you have tasted before.  For one thing, you are in control of the ingredients and secondly, it is a lot cheaper.  Here innovation  and creativity is the name of the game.  Open your refrigerator and see what you have left over that needs to get put to use and go from there.  Mozzarella is a good standby but any of the cheeses I mentioned below are a good alternative.  Chorizo, ham, tiny meatballs, pancetta, bacon, chicken are great meats and as to vegetables. the sky's the limit.  Don't limit yourself to what you think is an adequate pizza ingredient.

The recipe below is an adaptation from no other than Jacques Pepin who makes pizza often for lunch or slices them for hors d'oeuvre.  There is always pizza dough in his freezer in case of unannounced guests.

I have made quite a few since I got my stone and have gotten quite good at it.  I even gave one to my son for his birthday just so we could compare strategies. This was the last one I made and it was a masterpiece!

It will take you a couple of times to get the dough to your liking.  The longer you leave it on the pan resting after it has cooked, the crispier your pizza will be.  Make sure the stone is preheated at 400 degrees for at least an hour and also take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it rise for and hour or two before filling and baking.  Punch it hard to get rid of the bubbles and work it with your hands around the edges, letting it drop and working quickly.  Put it on top of a lightly floured counter and roll it as thin as you want with a rolling pin.

Make sure you have all the ingredients ready to go before you take the stone out of the oven.  Work quickly when you add the ingredients so the stone doesn't get cold.

If I can make a great pizza, so can you.  It might take you a couple of times but you will be so glad you did!


4 servings

Ingredients

•1 ready-made 12-inch pizza crust

•2 tablespoons good olive oil

•2/3 cup sliced onion

•1 cup coarsely chopped (1/4-inch) chorizo sausage

•2/3 cup coarsely chopped white mushrooms (4–5 mushrooms)

•1 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper strips (or sliced tomatoes which is what I used)

•2 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic

•1/4 teaspoon salt

•1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

•About 1 1/2 cups sliced cheese, such as St. Albray, fontina, Camembert, mozzarella, Beaufort, or a mixture of these.  You can also use goat cheese!

Directions

Preheat the oven (and the stone if using) to 400 degrees. Brush the bottom of the pizza crust with a little of the oil. Place the crust on a cookie sheet (or stone), sprinkle the onion on top, and evenly distribute the chorizo, mushrooms, bell pepper (or tomatoes), and sliced garlic on the crust. I also added fresh basil.  Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and top with the cheese. Sprinkle on the remaining oil.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until well browned and crisp. Cut into wedges and serve.

Andre Soltner's Alsatian Pizza

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If I can make pizza, you definitely can make pizza.  Of course, I don't make the dough, I buy it.  Then I simply let it stand for 30 minutes until it rises, pound it as hard as if it were a letter from the IRS and roll it as thin as I can.  That is the hardest part, for pizza dough is a tough cookie to deal with.

I recently bought myself the Emile Henri Pizza Stone which I featured in my Christmas gifts post

and I have been making pizzas left and right.  This, aside from the Margherita, is by far my most favorite pizza. 

If you happen to have a Publix where you live, their pizza dough .which is sold in the bakery, is pretty good.

For those of you not familiar with Andre Soltner, he was the legendary chef/owner of Lutece, once considered the best restaurant in New York and where I was lucky to have many a memorable meal in the 80's.  It is long gone but his recipes and his reputation will live fovever.  Andre Soltner was born in Alsace, need I say more?

 

 Makes 4 Servings


Ingredients

1/2 pound frozen pizza or bread dough, thawed

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup fromage blanc or fresh ricotta

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 pound thickly sliced smoky bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

Directions

1.Divide the dough into 4 pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each piece to a 4-inch round; let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each round out to an 8-inch round 1/8 inch thick.

2.Lightly oil 2 large baking sheets with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Transfer 2 dough rounds to each baking sheet. Fold each edge over onto itself to form a thin lip. Refrigerate the dough rounds until chilled, about 1/2 hour.

3.In a food processor, pulse the fromage blanc until smooth. Add the flour, crème fraîche and the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and process until smooth.

4.In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until the fat is rendered, about 4 minutes. Add the onion and cook just until softened, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.

5.Preheat the oven to 425°. Spread the fromage blanc mixture over the rounds to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle with the bacon and onion. Bake on the bottom shelf of the oven for about 12 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve.

Notes

Cutting bacon is easiest when the slices are chilled and stacked. Make sure to use a very sharp knife or kitchen shears to keep the slices neat. Note: This recipe yields four servings as main course, but as an appetizer in this menu, it makes plenty for eight.

The stone should be warmed in the oven at 425 for at least 30 minutes.  I sprinkle coarse corn meal on the stone before I lay down the pizza.