Pear Maple Walnut Pizza

Crisp arugula, juicy pears, crunchy walnuts, crumbly gorgonzola–all ingredients of a one of the most delicious salads in the world. But how many times have you had a salad of this sort that was loaded with cheap arugula and left with barely any of the delicious toppings? Well, I’ll tell you my answer: way too many times. This pizza is my second answer to that question. Screw the arugula and put all the good stuff on a pizza. The result: scrumptious. Make this pizza with 1/2 of my Elementary Pizza Dough recipe for best results.

(4 servings)

1/2 Elementary Pizza Dough recipe
1 cup sliced Anjou pears, halved
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup crumbled gorgonzola
1/3 cup shredded parmesan
drizzle of maple syrup

Instructions:
1. Preheat to 425 degrees Farenheit
2. Roll out half of the Elementary Pizza Dough recipe onto a greased pizza stone, to form a 10-12 inch diameter circle
3. Make sure there are no bubbled under the dough; make sure no patches of dough are stretched too thin
4. Brush the dough lightly with olive oil
5. Spread the gorgonzola evenly over the dough, leaving room around the edges for a 1 inch crust
6. Spread the sliced pear evenly over the pizza
7. Sprinkle the walnuts evenly over the pizza
8. Sprinkle the parmesan evenly over pizza
9. Drizzle the maple syrup over the pizza in a zigzag motion
10. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown

Raspberry Peacha

Peacha…pizza…..Get it? Okay maybe my jokes are dumb, but this delicious pizza is no joke whatsoever. Raspberry may sound like a weird topping to put on a pizza, I know. Even my sisters were weary of trying this pizza once it came out of the oven. But combined with the cheese–(and I honestly did spend a significant amount of time deciding what combination of cheeses would work best with the fruit)–and the peaches something magical happens in the oven, and the Raspberry Peacha comes out of the oven like a dream, and the once you taste the flavors all together you are surprised–pleasantly surprised, by how delicious this “peacha” actually is.

Please refer to the Elementary Pizza Dough recipe to make the crust to this pizza. Remember–only use half of the dough to make one pizza.

(4 servings)

Elementary Pizza Dough
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup sliced fresh peaches (approximately half a peach)
1/2 cup diced brie
1 cup shredded swiss cheese

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Farenheit
2. Roll out the Elementary Pizza Dough onto a greased pizza stone, forming approximately a 10 inch diameter circle
3. Make sure there are no bubbles under the dough, and make sure no patches of dough are stretched too thin
4. Brush the dough lightly with olive oil
5. Spread 3/4 of the swiss cheese evenly around the dough, leaving 1 inch around the edge for the crust
6. Spread the peaches, raspberries, and brie in regularly spaced increments; do not be afraid to overlap toppings
7. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of swiss cheese over the entire pizza
8. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown

Elementary Pizza Dough

This pizza dough is so easy to make even a fifth grader could do it. It can be used to make almost any type of pizza your heart desires. When completely assembled, the dough is not sticky at all. It is very easy to handle and to roll out. When baked, the dough turns the perfect shade of golden brown, and the texture is perfection–not too soft, yet not to crispy. Perfect. This recipe makes enough dough to make two 10 inch pizzas.

1.25 cups warm water
1 package active dry yeast
3.5 cups flour
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar

Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water; allow to sit for 10 minutes
2. Stir in salt and olive oil
3. Mix in 2 cups of the flour
4. Turn dough over on a dry, well-floured surface, kneading in the rest of the flour (1.5 cups) until the dough is no longer sticky
5. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth/towel
6. Allow dough to double in size–this should take approximately 1 hour
7. Refrigerate up to 48 hours