Don’t panic.
This isn’t as strange as it sounds.
That pizza, though — it completely obsessed me.
On a recent vacation I ordered a pizza like this and was beyond excited to try it. I waited, eager for the first bite, only to be told twenty minutes later that they were out of shallots and the chef wouldn’t substitute. I had to pick something else. I was deflated.
I had been craving a blueberry-topped pizza. I’ve been on a blueberry kick lately — creatively and culinarily. Two days later we returned to the same restaurant, partly because the food is great and partly because I couldn’t stop thinking about that pizza I almost had. I ordered it again… only to find it had been removed from the menu. It was seasonal and the menu had changed in the last 48 hours. They wouldn’t make it off-menu. Big disappointment.
I was honestly crushed. Weird-sounding dishes are my thing — the weirder, the better. And I’m the type of odd who will sit in the kitchen listening to just Kenny Loggins for the entire day while secretly admiring Steve Buscemi — that kind of weird.
Alongside the chocolate potato chip ice cream I made the day I got home, this pizza was high on my list to recreate. I had nothing to go on except my memory of what the server had said: ricotta, blueberries, lemon and thyme. So I set out to recreate it from memory.
I whipped the ricotta — I can rarely resist smoothing out ricotta or feta these days. I added blueberries, a little fresh thyme, lemon zest, and then leaned heavily on extra cheese because, well, extra cheese. The result was ridiculous in the best way. I devoured it.
Blueberry Pizza with Whipped Ricotta + Caramelized Shallots
1
pizza
2 hrs
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 1/8 cups warm water
- 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Pizza
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 shallots, sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 lemons, zested
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, freshly grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 1 cup blueberries
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
Instructions
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In a large bowl, combine warm water, yeast, honey and olive oil. Mix and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add 2 cups of the flour and the salt, stirring until the dough starts to come together but is still sticky. Form the dough into a ball and work in the remaining 2/3 cup flour on a floured surface, kneading briefly. Oil the bowl, place the dough inside, turn to coat, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm spot for 1–1½ hours.
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While the dough rises, heat a large skillet over low heat and add olive oil and butter. Add the sliced shallots and salt, cover and cook gently for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and lowering the heat if they begin to brown. Stir in brown sugar and garlic and cook 5 more minutes. Set aside.
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Blend the ricotta in a food processor until smooth, then add lemon zest and puree until combined. After the dough has risen, punch it down, shape it on a floured surface into your desired form and transfer to a baking sheet or pizza peel. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 375°F (or follow your pizza stone or skillet method directions). Spread the whipped ricotta over the dough and top with half the mozzarella. Scatter the caramelized shallots and thyme, then the blueberries, and finish with the remaining mozzarella. Bake 30–35 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly. Remove and serve with grated parmesan.
Notes
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It’s been three weeks since I last posted a pizza recipe (outside of a recent crust update), so maybe I’m maturing. Or maybe I’m just finding more ways to enjoy the unexpected — blueberries on pizza included.