This recipe for grilled pizza is one of the more popular dishes on the bar menu that we introduced this summer at the Plaza Cafe. We really like the combination of flavors here, and it's a great item for guests to share too.
Yield: 1 pie
Onions, sliced, caramelized - 1 ea.
Fontina, shredded - 6-8 ounces
Baby arugula - hand full
Balsamic vinaigrette - 2 ozs.
Prosciutto, sliced thin - 3 ozs.
Figs, quartered - 4 ea.
Balsamic glaze - as needed
1. Roll out pizza dough
2. Brush with oil and place on grill
3. Once marked, turn over
4. Top with onions and then fontina
5. Once fontina is melted, remove from grill
6. Dress baby arugula with balsamic vinaigrette
7. Portion baby arugula over fontina
8. Drape with prosciutto, and then top with figs
9. Drizzle with balsamic glaze
PIZZA DOUGH
Yield: 4-8 inch pies
Yeast, instant or dry active - 1 pkt
Water, warm (105-115 F) - 1 C
Honey - 1 tsp.
Olive oil - 1T
Flour, all purpose - 3 C
Kosher salt - 1 tsp.
1. In mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water
2. Stir in the honey; let sit 2-3 minutes until cloudy
3. Stir in olive oil
4. Combine flour and salt and add all at once to yeast mixture
5. Mix with paddle attachment just until combined
6. Switch to dough hook and knead until the dough clusters around the hook - about 5 minutes
7. Turn out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand until smooth and elastic - about 2-3 minutes
8. Divide the dough into 4 balls, shaping each by pulling down on the sides and and tucking each pull underneath
9. Roll the ball under your palm until smooth and firm
10. Put the balls on tray and cover with damp towel and let rest 30 minutes
And now for Christopher's Perfect Pairings:
Homemade pizza may sound a bit intimidating, but it's actually fairly easy to prepare. I've been making my own for years. A good friend of mine and I went so far as to design and build an outdoor wood burning oven for this very purpose. I know this may seem a bit overboard but we REALLY like pizza, and the great thing is you can top them off with pretty much anything. Doug's recipe calls for some figs, which are sweet, and onions as well. You could go two ways with this one. A nice full-bodied red would be fun to try, or even a nice Riesling, maybe one with a little residual sugar would be nice to complement those figs. Give these a try the next time you give this recipe a whirl. Bon Appetit!
2009 Waterstone - $19.99 - 93 Points
"This is amazing value in California Cab. It's hard to believe. Aromas of fresh herbs with currants and blueberries as well as mint. It's full body with velvety tannins and a juicy finish. Lots of fruit but not overdone and not over alcoholic. Drink and don't worry." 93 Points, James Suckling
2008 Sassicaia - $169 - 97 Points
"This is the best young Sassicaia in years. It's the new 1988 -- which was great, sometimes better than the legendary 1985. What incredible aromas here with blueberries, spices, licorice, plums. Graphite too. Subtle and complex. Full and silky with a beautiful texture of fine tannins and an ultra-fine finish. So beautiful now but will be much better in 2015. Owner Nicolo Incisa della Rocchetta says that Sassicaia is always great in years that end with 8: 1958, 1968, 1978, 1988, 1998, and 2008." 97 Points, James Suckling
2008 Zind Humbrecht Riesling Gueberschwihr - $26.99 - 91 Points
"Humbrecht doesn't foresee any less potential than in the distinctively different L14T. Zind-Humbrecht's 2008 Riesling Gueberschwihr - whose nine grams of residual sugar are wicked-away by its high acidity and extract - offers a juicy, zesty mouthful of fresh lime, apple, salt, and chalk, finishing with exuberant refreshment and exhilarating lift. Subtle bitterness of fruit pit and citrus pips and rind; crushed stone; and a Muscat-like pungent note of wintergreen all advance the cooling and invigorating cause of this spine-tingling bottling that one ought on no account neglect to experience in its youth, though it ought to also be interesting to follow for 6-8 years. I'd be tempted to say that this bottling leaves its Riesling predecessors from the present collection in the dust except that it's really beginning with this wine that a sense of downright magical mineral dust seems to emerge!" 91 Points, The Wine Advocate