Photo by Judith Hausman
Pears and pizza are a perfect pair.
Fruit and cheese: It’s an iconic picnic pairing that deserved the pizza stone this fall, and it couldn’t have come together any more easily.
On a weekend, you can mix up your signature pizza dough recipe, but on a Monday night, I used whole-wheat supermarket dough, a “secret weapon” I keep handy in my freezer. It pushes out into a thin crust quite nicely.
First, I positioned radicchio leaves over the dough, making sure they were well-dried after washing. If kale or chard is more available, use those. I don’t think spinach is sturdy enough for the high heat.
Then, I fanned out firm Bosc pear slices to cover the surface. Next came salty Gorgonzola cheese, sprinkled all over, but not too much of it. Apples might work in the same way, but my next pizza partner will be very thin, peeled slices of winter squash. I love Gorgonzola, but another blue cheese can be substituted, too.
Place into a hot oven for about 15 minutes, give or take. As the finished pizza cools, sprinkle on some chopped rosemary (or sage) and drizzle some balsamic syrup (reducing the usual balsamic vinegar yields a syrupy, sweeter condiment) over the bubbling cheese. Boy, was it good, along with a last-of-the-tomatoes salad and a favorite pinot grigio from the Italian-Austrian border!
Servings: 2 to 4
INGREDIENTS
- dough for one whole-wheat pizza
- a small head of radicchio or other sturdy green (see above)
- 2 ripe but firm pears, such as Bosc, cored and sliced
- about 1/2 cup Gorgonzola, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon rosemary leaves, chopped (optional)
- 2 tablespoons thick balsamic vinegar (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread the dough out thinly on a lightly oiled cookie sheet or pizza stone. Make one layer of radicchio leaves over the dough surface, leaving about a 2-inch border uncovered.
Top the leaves with sliced pear and then with crumbled Gorgonzola.
Bake until the crust has browned and the cheese is melted and golden, about 15 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven, sprinkle the rosemary and drizzle the balsamic syrup over it.
You might also enjoy these Locavore Recipes:
