Pear Gorgonzola Pizza
This fabulous pear gorgonzola pizza with prosciutto and hot honey strikes a savory, sweet, and earthy flavor balance that you'll crave. Quantities listed here are for one 10-inch pie (which feeds one to two people). Double them for a large pie.
Calories: 285kcal
Ingredients
For the pizza
- 1 6- ounce 170-gram dough ball
- 2 ounces (57 grams) low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons (10 grams) grated parmesan cheese
- 2 ounces (57 grams) gorgonzola dolce
- ¼ medium Bosc pear cored and sliced ⅛-inch thick
- 4 thin slices prosciutto cut crosswise into thin ribbons
- 1 ounce (28 grams) red onion, sliced 1/16-inch thick
- 1 teaspoon picked fresh thyme leaves
- ? teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) hot honey
For the work surface
- 1 tablespoon (12 grams) coarsely ground cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon (12 grams) semolina flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 550°F (or as high as it goes) with a rack in the center. If you have a pizza stone, preheat it on the center rack. (If not, you can use an overturned half sheet pan.)
- Stir together the cornmeal and semolina flour. Distribute half of the mixture over your work surface.
- Stretch the dough into a 10-inch round and place on prepared work surface.
- Sprinkle on the mozzarella and then the parmesan in an even layer. Pinch off small pieces of the gorgonzola and distribute them across the surface of the pizza.
- Distribute the pear slices and prosciutto ribbons, then the onion and thyme. Sprinkle with the pepper.
- Sprinkle remaining cornmeal mixture over peel. Nudge peel under pizza and use it to transfer pizza to preheated stone.
- Bake until dough is cooked through, about 6 to 10 minutes depending on your oven.
- Slice and drizzle with the hot honey.
Notes
- You can start with purchased pizza dough or make your own. I've linked my favorite recipe for New York-style crust below. This recipe works with any size and style of pizza you'd like to make.
- A combination of shredded low-moisture mozzarella and good-quality grated parmesan does just enough to tie this pizza to its classic roots. This combo is easy to work with as long as you don't overdo it. Shred and grate the cheeses yourself to avoid additives that will prevent your pizza from tasting and behaving its best.
- I tend to reach for mild, creamy gorgonzola dolce for this recipe, but you can use any blue cheese with similar characteristics. Not a fan? Substitute brie, fresh goat cheese, or crumbled feta.
- Bosc pear is bright, crisp, and firm when ripe. You'll slice it nice and thin so the beautiful shape melds right into the dish as a whole.
- Properly sliced prosciutto should be on the thin side but not so thin that it falls apart. Use any variety that you enjoy eating. You'll slice it into ribbons and bake it with the pizza.
- A little bit of razor-thin red onion adds just enough bite and dimension.
- Fresh thyme helps ground the flavor profile of this pizza and tie the savory and sweet elements together.
- As the name suggests, hot honey has both sweet and gently spicy elements. It makes a beautiful finishing sauce for this pizza.
- An equal mixture of cornmeal and semolina flour works beautifully to help your pizza slide onto and off of the peel.
- To make this pie vegetarian, feel free to leave out the prosciutto — you'll still end up with a great-tasting pie. Beyond that, all you need to do is ensure you're using cheeses made without animal rennet.
- If making your own dough, you'll need to start at least 24 hours in advance. Assemble and bake the pizza right before serving.
- Store pizza in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a couple of days. By far my favorite way to reheat and re-crisp pizza is in the toaster oven. You can use a regular oven if that's what you've got.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 1798mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g