The CookMobile » Pizzas

Pear, Caramelized Onions and Goat Cheese Pizza

Lalaine — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:48:17 +0000

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.

Snack Recipes in The CookMobile Archive:

Sugared Curried Pecans

Mini Bacon Ranch and Pico de Gallo Pizzas

Lalaine — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:23:02 +0000

Sunday was my 38th birthday. Traditionally, I would have prepared a couple of dishes and have a mini gathering at home. Not this year, though. I didn’t even cook pancit guisado, which is customarily served on birthdays to signify a long, healthy life. I suppose these past four months of juggling a full-time job, nursing school and household maintenance has taken a toll on my old soul and beat-up body. All I wanted was the gift of ME-time. So on the day of my birthday, I was first in line at my favorite salon for a pedicure and (ouch!) waxing. I then spent the rest of the morning window shopping at the Cerritos Mall. Wow! I can’t believe how resting and calming it was to just walk aimlessly, to walk without a purpose.

At around 2 PM, my daughter asked if she could invite a few of her classmates over. For a good minute, I considered preparing my special pancit guisado for them. Nope. This is ME-day. I need this day to be able to meet the other days.

Actually, my forgoing the noodle dish resulted to more fun for the girls. They had a blast rolling, cutting and assembling the pizzas! If you want a good reminder of aging, surround yourself with five giggling girls. How I envy the optimism of youth! How I yearn for their ability to chow on mini pizzas, to chug on Diet Coke and to live in the simple moment of that bite and drink. How I miss the times when all I had to lose sleep on was the red pimple on my nose!

Ingredients

Pico de Gallo Mini Pizzas

pizza dough
cooked chicken breast, shaved or shredded (I used leftovers from my roasted onion chicken)
tomatoes, diced
cilantro, finely chopped
jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
white onions, peeled and finely chopped
pepper jack cheese, shredded
cheddar cheese, shredded
asiago cheese, grated
parmesan cheese, grated
romano cheese, grated

Bacon and Ranch Mini Pizzas

Pizza dough
cooked chicken breast, shaved or shredded
crisp bacon, crumbled
ranch dressing
red onion, peeled and finely chopped
mozzarella cheese, shredded
asiago cheese, grated
parmesan cheese, grated
romano cheese, grated

Procedure

Prepare pizza dough as directed.

Dust a wide working surface with flour or cornmeal. With a rolling pin, roll dough as thinly as possible. Use a jar lid or a cookie cutter to cut dough into small rounds.

Arrange pizza rounds on a baking sheet. Using tines of a fork, lightly prick surface of dough.

Sprinkle asiago, parmesan and romano cheeses on crust. Assemble toppings. Drizzle ranch dressing on bacon-ranch mini pizzas. Top dough rounds with the remaining cheeses, mozzarella or pepper jack and cheddar. Sprinkle more asiago, parmesan and romano cheeses on top.

Bake in a preheated 375 F oven until cheese is melted, around 10 to 15 minutes.

Pizza Dough

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

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 form a tight ball.
Let the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Roll with a rolling pin or knead with hands into a flattened disk. Using a round lid or cookie cutter, cut into small dough disks. Continue to roll and cut until all dough scraps are used.

Appetizer Recipes in The CookMobile Archive:

Pancetta-Wrapped Scallops

Crispy Pork Sisig

Spinach, Roma and Ricotta Pizza

Lalaine — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:48:51 +0000

This is my entry to the Hay Hay Donna Day Pizza event at 80 Breakfasts. I hope Joey, the event host, won’t mind that I diverted from Donna’s pizza dough recipe and opted for Jay’s Signature Pizza Crust recipe instead. No disrespect for Ms. Hay, but I have been successful with Jay’s recipe before and if it ain’t broke, why fix it? For the toppings, I took inspiration from Dagwood’s, the pizzeria where we lean towards for pizza fare at work.

Makes 8 Servings

Ingredients

Toppings

1 cup ricotta
1 cup chopped spinach, thawed
3 roma tomatoes, sliced to rounds
1 cup mozarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup olive oil

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

Procedure

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 the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Roll with a rolling pin or knead with hands into a flattened disk.

Carefully lift and arrange to cover an olive-oil greased pizza pan. Trim excess dough at sides of pan. Brush dough surface with olive oil. Top with toppings, spooning ingredients on surface, ending with mozzarella cheese. Drizzle with additional olive oil.

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

TIP:
If using a regular sheet pan, allow the dough to rise for an additional 10 to 15 minutes on the oiled pan before topping.

Recipes from the Oven in the Archive:

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Scotties