Doesn’t this look like dessert?
It’s not — though if you prefer sweet-savory combinations, this could easily pass for a dessert-like meal.
I often wonder if I’ll ever tire of pizza. Saying pizza is your favorite food is as predictable as naming Dirty Dancing your favorite movie or admitting your favorite color is pink. Guilty as charged. We make or order pizza at least once a week, sometimes more, and inevitably we’ll both complain that we’re done with pizza… until we’re not. A week later, pizza again. Cheese and dough are irresistible.
This particular pie probably wouldn’t qualify as dinner to my husband — he’d call it an appetizer or a side because there’s no traditional tomato sauce or pepperoni. To me, though, it’s a satisfying meal: savory, balanced, and a little adventurous.
We’ve talked about pizza styles and how we like to enjoy it. Pita or tortilla “pizza” works in a pinch and takes minutes, but it doesn’t hit the same. We prefer something doughy, gooey, and indulgent, so during the week we’ll eat lighter meals — salads, grilled fish — and save the fully loaded or homemade pizza for the weekend. Moderation, with occasional accidents at midnight involving cookie dough.
Over the years I’ve had an autumn pizza tradition. Past favorites include an autumn apple pizza with bacon and a harvest pizza with butternut squash, sage, pine nuts and goat cheese. This year I went with caramelized pears, brown sugar, and heaps of blue cheese — a combination that might sound odd but really works. Trust the flavor pairing: sweet, salty, creamy and crisp all at once.
I almost piled arugula on top for the peppery freshness, but that felt predictable. If you like, toss some arugula with olive oil and a pinch of salt and crown the pizza with it right before serving — instant brightness and a nice textural contrast.
Look at that chewy, gooey square below. This is the kind of slice worth savoring.
Caramelized Pear, Prosciutto + Blue Cheese Pizza
Yield:
3
to 4
2 hrs
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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
- 2 semi-ripe pears, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 6 ounces fontina cheese, freshly grated
- 2 shallots, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 slices prosciutto
- 6 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
- Balsamic glaze for drizzling
Instructions
Dough
- In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, honey and olive oil. Mix and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add 2 cups flour and salt, stirring until the dough comes together but remains sticky. Form into a ball and work in the remaining 2/3 cup flour, kneading on a floured surface for a few minutes. Rub the bowl with olive oil, return the dough to the bowl, turn to coat, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Pizza
- While the dough rises, heat a large skillet over low heat and add olive oil and butter. Add the pears with salt and nutmeg, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat if they brown too quickly. Stir in brown sugar and cook 5–10 minutes until golden. Set aside.
- After the dough has risen, punch it down and shape on a floured surface into your desired form — a rectangle on a baking sheet or a round pizza. This dough yields one pizza that feeds about 3–4 people. Place on a baking sheet or pizza peel, cover with a towel and let rest in a warm place for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (or follow your pizza stone/skillet method). Sprinkle about three-fourths of the fontina over the dough, add garlic and shallots, spread the pears on top, then layer with prosciutto. Crumble blue cheese over the pizza and finish with the remaining fontina. Bake 30–35 minutes, until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven and drizzle with balsamic glaze.
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Halfway to complete pizza domination.