Oh, and fresh mozzarella. But hey, I had to cut the title off at some point – it’s long enough as is.
I know what you may be thinking. Fruit? On a pizza? Whaaaaat? Let me just stop you right there. Indulge me for a moment and think about how fantastic fruit and cheese taste together: apples & cheddar, peaches & ricotta, dried figs & goat cheese, pears & blue cheese, dried cranberries & brie, grapes & gouda… you get the idea. So I ask you, why not take that delicious pairing a step further and make a fruit and cheese pizza?!
If you are still not convinced that fruit belongs on a pizza, then rest assured that this recipe is still incredibly tasty minus the nectarines. I enjoyed a few slices, one without the nectarines and two with the fruit, and both versions are delicious. That being said, I encourage you to step outside of your gustatory safe zone and go a little wild with a slice of this pizza in all of its sweet & juicy fruited glory.
Caramelized Red Onion, Blue Cheese, and Nectarine Pizza
Ingredients:
- homemade or store-bought dough for 1 pizza
- extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- 1 medium red onion, peeled & thinly sliced
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella, patted dry to remove excess moisture and thinly sliced using a serrated knife
- 1/2 cup crumbled reduced fat blue cheese (such as Stella)
- 2 nectarines, preferably organic, washed, pitted, and thinly sliced
Directions:
- Bring the pizza dough to room temperature by placing on the counter, covered, for at least 1-2 hours prior to rolling out.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add in sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and softened, about 10 minutes. Reduce stove heat to low. Add in the brown sugar and a pinch of salt and continue to cook until onions are caramelized, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Lightly flour a large clean work surface, and roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness using a rolling pin. Carefully transfer the rolled-out dough to a non-rimmed baking sheet. Pierce the dough lightly with a fork 7-8 times and place in the oven. Pre-bake the dough for 2 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven, flip the pizza crust over, and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and a light sprinkling of salt. Top with the mozzarella slices, caramelized onions, and blue cheese crumbles.
- Bake assembled pizza on the baking sheet for 8 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven and top with nectarine slices. Carefully transfer the pizza directly onto the oven rack, and cook 1-2 minutes, or until the bottom of the pizza crust is golden brown and crisp.
- Allow the cooked pizza to cool for a couple of minutes before slicing and serving.
