Caramelized Pear, Crispy Prosciutto + Blue Cheese Pizza. {Video!}
Doesn’t this look like dessert?!
It’s not. But I mean, I guess it could be if you’re into savory things like that.
I often wonder if I will ever get sick of pizza. Telling others that pizza is your favorite food is like telling them that Dirty Dancing is your favorite movie. Heck, while I’m at it I may as well remind you that my favorite color is pink. Could I be any more TYPICAL? Probably not.
We do this thing where we order pizza or I make pizza once a week and occasionally, more than once a week. Just because of one thing or another. And either I’ll turn to my husband or he’ll turn to me – regardless of who goes first, it always happens – and say, “ugh, I’m good on pizza for awhile.” To which the other responds, way-too-full and over served, “yeah, me too.”
And then, what do you know. One week later: pizza. We’re back at it. Just can quit you, cheese and dough.
Not that this is even a pizza he would eat. It would qualify as an appetizer or maybe even a side dish, but not as “real” pizza given the absence of sauce and pepperoni. Real pizza. Whatevs. This is a snack for him. A meal for me.
We actually happened to be talking about pizza last night – how much we love it and how we fit it into our meals. Neither one of us are a fan of the pita or tortilla pizza – while it’s awesome in a pinch and can easily happen in 10 minutes or less, it just doesn’t… DO IT for us. It doesn’t curb the craving, you know? Simply put, we don’t enjoy pizza that way. We love it all doughy and gooey and terrible for us. It fits into our idea of moderation (says the girl who just ate a chunk of chocolate chip cookie dough out of the fridge at 10PM), and we’d rather eat some of our favorite chicken salads and bbq salmon during the week so we can really enjoy the heck out of a delivery or homemade pizza come Friday. And sometimes… Saturday too. Accidents happen.
In previous years, I’ve always made an autumn pizza. 2011 brought us an autumn apple pizza with bacon and 2012 brought a harvest pizza with butternut squash, sage, pine nuts and goat cheese. 2013 is throwing out some pears and brown sugar with tons of blue cheese, mostly likely freaking a whole lot of you out. Embrace the weird.
In full disclosure, I reeeeeeally wanted to top this pizza with arugula. But I feel like I’m always doing that and am just oh-so predictable. Hello, this entire post. So hey, if you have any arugula lying around? Toss if with some olive oil and salt and pile it high on top. Instant health food!
Just look at the chewy, oooey, gooey square below. Everyday deserves a slice this good.
Caramelized Pear, Prosciutto + Blue Cheese Pizza
Ingredients
dough
- 1 1/8 cups warm water
- 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
pizza
- 2 semi-ripe pears, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 6 ounces fontina cheese, freshly grated
- 2 shallots, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 slices prosciutto
- 6 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
- balsamic glaze for drizzling
Instructions
dough
- In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, honey and olive oil. Mix with a spoon, then let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add in 2 cups flour and salt, stirring with a spoon until the dough comes together but is still sticky. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball and work in the additional 2/3 cup flour, kneading it on a floured surface for a few minutes. Rub the same bowl with olive oil then place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with a towel and place in a warm place to rise for about 1-1 1/2 hours.
pizza
- While the dough is rising, heat a large skillet over low heat and add olive oil and butter. Add in the pears with the salt and nutmeg and cover, cooking for 15 minutes and stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat more if they begin to brown too much. Stir in the brown sugar and cook for 5 to 10 more minutes until golden. Set aside.
- After the dough has risen, punch it down and place it back on the floured surface. Using a rolling pin or your hands, form it into your desired shape (sometimes I use baking sheets and do rectangles or free form pizzas – this specific dough will yield one pizza large enough to feed about 3-4 people) and place on a baking sheet or pizza peel. Place the towel back over the dough and let sit in the warm place for 10 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees (or if you’re using a pizza stone or the skillet method, follow these directions). Add about three fourths of the fontina on the dough along with the garlic and shallots. Spread the pears all over the pizza and cover them with the prosciutto. Crumble the blue cheese over top and add the rest of the fontina. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly. Remove and drizzle balsamic on top.
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to follow @howsweeteats on instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo of your recipe to our facebook page.
I appreciate you so much!
Halfway to complete pizza domination.
87 Comments on “Caramelized Pear, Crispy Prosciutto + Blue Cheese Pizza. {Video!}”
I love caramelized pineapple on pizza and I bet pear would be so good. What great texture! And the balsamic drizzle too, mmm, wonderful! Pizza for breakfast is sounding pretty good :)
What an interesting combination! You’re so much more creative than I am :)
I think is my go to cheese combo on a pizza! I normally serve pears caramelised with pecans and walnuts then blue cheese and some good bread. At least I can have on nightly basis now. Yep not sorry.
I’m not usually a huge prosciutto fan but in this form count me in!
Hah! My boyf would also consider this a mere snack due to it’s absence of spicy meats. Your missing out suckers! More pizza for me!
this looks yummy! i might try it this out.
may i ask you? 1. do you take all the food photos you share on your blog? 2. do you comment on otherr people’s blogs in return, i mean do you drop by those people’s blogs who took the time to leave comments on your own blog and leave a comment? or just only posting. i am a new blogger and i’ve been told that in order to get comments i have to go out and leave comments on other people’s blogs. after all is a win-win situation.
thanks for you reply .
laura
yep, i do take all the photos! and i do suggest commenting on other blogs – but don’t do it just to get comments on your own site – do it to become part of the food blogging community!
What a sight to wake up to at 7am…now I am hungry! What is the balsamic glaze you use to drizzle at the end? Can you just use plain balsamic vinegar? Thanks for sharing!
ah sorry – forgot to link it. i do make my own all the time (especially because i love to use flavored balsamic): http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/06/asiago-portobello-burgers-with-roasted-red-peppers-balsamic-glaze/
but you can also buy balsamic glaze! my local grocery store has it as does trader joes. it usually comes in a little almost squeeze-like bottle like this: http://www.delallo.com/products/modenacrem-balsamic-glaze
This recipe has such a great combination of sweet, savory, tangy deliciousness! Love the combo of fontina AND bleu cheese. Can’t wait to try it! Btw, my husband and I live right above a pizza parlor that happens to make some of the best pizza ive ever had, so I can totally understand the “let’s just order pizza” impulse! ; )
My husband and I are pizza lovers too. And Louisville has soooo many good original pizza joints that it would actually be a crime not to love pizza. So the way I see it, we are just being loyal citizens. Yeah… that’s it.
Ooh this looks lovely! I have a recipe request though…. what about bbq salmon ON pizza…. it’ll be like the new thing in fusion cuisine. Or have you already done this? If so, I need the recipe!
Tortilla and pita pizza are not nearly as awesome as real pizza. We just can’t do them over here. People would complain. Ha.
I am not a pear person, but I am bet if they were caramelized like this and with prosciutto and blue cheese I would freaking love them! Seriously this pizza is my happy place! :)
Guess I know what were doing for Pizza Friday this week. The next two days of waiting will be TORTURE!
That looks gorgeous.
those pears!!!
I’m dying…. this has all my favorite ingredients in one… plus, it’s a pizza. Amazing!
I was just craving pear and gorgonzola pizza yesterday. Your carmelized pears look amazing. I can’t wait to try this soon!
oh my! amazing!
Like…. I’m dying over here. Amazing.
Um, is this pizza heaven? Lol my husband would definitely see this as an appetizer too. Men! :)
Yummm. I am not a huge blue cheese fan, but this makes me want to like it. You can’t go wrong with pizza.
My mouth is absolutely watering. I love your other fall pizzas as well, such great combinations!
things I need to know – how do you drizzle your balsamic glaze so perfectly?! seriously, mine always looks like a 4 year old playing with paint!
There is no such thing as getting sick of pizza. It just doesn’t happen. By the way, Connor and I have the EXACT same conversation every time we cave and get Chipotle–basically “ugh, I’m done with this. I don’t want to have it for a lonnnng time, OK?”–and then I’m hungry and tired one day and can’t think of anything else but a big fat burrito bowl.
This looks SO GOOD!
UGH! I love pizza too…can’t stop, won’t stop…and pita pizzas don’t do it for me either…gimme a lake of cheese on some chewy dough, thanks. Whenever I have a date with Megan-Take a Megabite, pizza is our default (…burgers are the other default).
Pizza pizza pizza! I am always down for pizza! Have you tried pizza on the grill? It’s kind of amazing, and life changing. And i think you would be all over it….the crust recipe I use uses whole wheat flour so it is totally healthy! Yay!
If I get around to it I can send you the recipe or its somewhere on my blog :) hehe
I’ve never been a blue cheese fan, but this recipe’s photos almost makes me forget that.
I love every component in this pizza!
Looks amazing! Totally with you on piling that arugula sky-high on top.
There’s pretty much nothing I don’t love about this. Sometimes mid-week if I’m just crazed and can’t even fathom cooking an “actual” meal – I grab some naan breads from the grocery store and we have “DIY pizza” night. This is totally happening on mine next time…
Doing this for pizza friday!!!
We have pizza night in our house about once a week too. It’s just so good! And I LOVE the pear and blue cheese combo. The sweet and savory is amazing.
Classic combo, makes me want one!
I’ll admit that I never tire of pizza, either. And this one needs to go on my Friday pizza night list. The savory and sweet combo is fantastic!
Molly. if you, thought Chad`s st0ry is great… on sunday I bought a great Lotus Elan since I been making $9586 this-last/5 weeks an would you believe $10 thousand last month. without a doubt it is the best job Ive had. I started this six months/ago and right away was making at least $75 per hour. you can try this out http://www.star48.com
What awesome flavors for this pizza!!! A taste bud party!!!
Pizza, I JUST CAN’T QUIT YOU!
This looks soooo good! Do you have any suggestions for a “salty topping” that’s vegetarian?
hmmm i am probably not the best to ask since i’m not very well educated on the options – but what if you roasted something like broccoli until it was crispy? or even kale?
I think you should consider opening a pizza parlor. And maybe a bakery. Just sayin.
This article came up in my feed right after I read your post: http://m.theweek.com/article.php?id=250389. Maybe some eccentric pizza inspiration in there?!
Pizza is awesome! you can put what ever you want on it!
I love every square inch of that pizza, but that balsamic drizzle at the end is what really did it for me. Pears and Blue Cheese for the ultimate win.
Arugula is my fave too, the only green I really eat because I love. On top of pizza, it makes all pizzas better!
Pizza is always a good go to meal. This Pizza however looks amazing! The flavor combination is great. Love that balsamic drizzle!
I found this recipe in that working hour after lunch where you’re starting to get hungry for dinner and are so ready to go home. (I mean, what? I wasn’t looking at food blogs at work!). I am literally salivating and cannot wait to make this! Your recipes are always wonderful. Apparently we are the same kind of weird, because this SPEAKS to me! ;)
This looks so satisfying! I love non-traditional pizzas. I still haven’t perfected a good wheat pizza dough so I’m going to have to give yours a try.
p.s. I think the pizza sounds awesome with arugula!
omg so my pookes and I are having a Project Runway/Pizza night tomorrow night and I’m really tempted to re-create this… we are already doing a buffalo chicken pizza, and one with blueberries… but this one right here… ugh, sounds AH MAY ZING.
Oh my lord I have to make this!! Blue cheese, pears and prosciutto combined are amazing!
Dinner, appetizer, breakfast, whatevs. I’d eat this masterpiece any time of day. I just love the pear/blue cheese combo.
Umm. I’m drooling. No big deal.
xo,
Lauren at http://www.lakeshorelady.com
YUM! I’m thinking I would top with arugula :)