What to do with overly ripe pears? A few things come to mind: fruit leather, smoothie, crumble, juice. But it’s Friday night and I’m looking to make pizza so why not incorporate pear and blue cheese.
I’m into the culinary balancing act of sweet and salty and pear is magical with blue cheese. Creating your own pizza has unlimited options and easily tailored to meet whatever your dietary needs are. Is it time to raid the refrigerator and see what needs to be used before going off? Sometimes I find the most interesting concoctions for my pizzas hidden at the back of the fridge or in the crisper. Here are some other combinations to contemplate or perhaps inspire you to create your own: spinach and artichoke, asparagus and sun-dried tomato, lemon slices with smoked mozzarella, grilled veggies and caramelized onions and so on. The idea, though, is not to load too many items onto the pizza base making it harder for the base to cook evenly. No one likes a soggy middle and dry edges.
Serves 4
pizza dough, room temperature
1 to 2 ripe pears, sliced
2 tablespoons pesto
blue cheese, crumbled or sliced
olive oil, for drizzling
Preheat oven to 510f (or the highest temperature setting) and allow at least 20 minutes before adding the pizza. Place rack in the middle of the oven or if you have a baking stone, place it in the lower middle of your oven. Shape pizza dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Smear pesto over base, add pear slices and blue cheese. Cook 8 to 10 minutes or until puffy and golden brown.
The Culinary Chase’s Note: A super easy meal to make in under 20 minutes. Pair with a glass of wine and the weekend is off to a great start. Enjoy!
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