Pear, Caramelized Onions and Goat Cheese Pizza

We were in the midst of quesadillas and animated chatter during our Super Bowl get-together when one of my girlfriends asked if I’ve tried pears, cheese and caramelized onions as pizza toppings. Although fruit-based pizzas are no longer a fresh concept, ham and pineapple being a classic, I was still piqued enough to take her idea on a spin right there and then. So, while the boys were roaring support for their favorite football team, I was kneading away! How did the crunchy pears, sweet caramelized onions and pungent goat cheese mingle on a crisp pizza crust? Very well.

Makes 8 Servings

Ingredients

1 prepared pizza crust (thin)
2 Bartlett pears, peeled, seeded and sliced thinly
1 cup goat cheese
2 red onions
1 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil

Procedure

Combine butter with around 1 tbsp of olive oil in a wide saute pan. Over medium-high, heat until butter melts and oil mixture shimmers. Stir in onions and coat with oil. Spread out onions in pan and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle salt and sugar over onions. Continue to cook onions until browned, around 30 minutes. Regularly scrape pan to prevent onions from burning and adjust heat as needed.

Prepare pizza dough following instructions below. Using palm of your hands, stretch and flatten dough into a thin crust. Carefully lift and arrange to cover a greased pizza pan. Trim excess dough from sides. Lightly brush surface with olive oil. Spread caramelized onions over crust. Arrange pear slices over onions. Top with small dollops of goat cheese.

Bake at a 450 F preheated oven for around 10 to 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Pizza Crust

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour

Dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water in a large bowl. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.

Onto a clean, well floured surface, turn out dough and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth.

Let the dough rise until double; around 1 hour. Punch down the dough and then form into a tight ball. Allow dough to relax for a minute before rolling out.

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