When it comes to pizzas, I tend to make a margherita (tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil) more often than not. It's not that I don't like pizzas with more exotic ingredients, it's just that sometimes simple flavors don't need to be improved upon.
A few months ago, D and I headed down to Stoney Acres Farm to enjoy one of the last Friday pizza nights of the season. There we shared a pizza with squash sauce, apples, crispy bacon, and blue cheese. Long story short, the pizza was delicious. And I couldn't wait to re-create it at home.
For my version, I used a roasted butternut squash puree as the sauce, added a layer of caramelized onions, and subbed goat cheese for the blue cheese. I opted for a vegetarian pizza, but a little crispy bacon on top would add a nice salty flavor to counterbalance the sweetness of the apples.
Pizza with Roasted Squash Sauce, Caramelized Onions, Apples, and Goat Cheese
(printer-friendly version)
makes one pizza
1 pizza crust (I like this made-from-scratch recipe)
1 cup roasted squash puree
2 cups caramelized onions (see recipe below)
1 small-medium apple, cored, peeled, and sliced
8 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
extra-virgin olive oil, for garnish
1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
2. Dollop the roasted squash puree onto the crust and use a spatula to evenly coat the crust.
3. Add an even layer of caramelized onions over the sauce.
4. Top the caramelized onions with the apple slices. (I made a circular pattern with the apples.)
5. Generously sprinkle crumbled goat cheese over top the apple layer.
6. Bake in the oven until the crust is golden brown and the goat cheese is just beginning to brown. Let cool for a few minutes and then drizzle with olive oil just before serving.
For the caramelized onions:
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions.
2. Stir occasionally during the first 15 minutes of cooking. The onions will soften and become translucent. Stir in the brown sugar.
3. During the next 10 minutes of cooking, stir the onions about every minute or so to prevent them from sticking to the skillet bottom and burning.
4. The caramelized onions are done once the onions are lightly browned; the entire cooking process should take about 25-30 minutes.
(printer-friendly version)
makes one pizza
1 pizza crust (I like this made-from-scratch recipe)
1 cup roasted squash puree
2 cups caramelized onions (see recipe below)
1 small-medium apple, cored, peeled, and sliced
8 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
extra-virgin olive oil, for garnish
1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
2. Dollop the roasted squash puree onto the crust and use a spatula to evenly coat the crust.
3. Add an even layer of caramelized onions over the sauce.
4. Top the caramelized onions with the apple slices. (I made a circular pattern with the apples.)
5. Generously sprinkle crumbled goat cheese over top the apple layer.
6. Bake in the oven until the crust is golden brown and the goat cheese is just beginning to brown. Let cool for a few minutes and then drizzle with olive oil just before serving.
For the caramelized onions:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 medium white onions, cut into 1/4" slices, and separated into individual rounds1 tablespoon brown sugar
1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions.
2. Stir occasionally during the first 15 minutes of cooking. The onions will soften and become translucent. Stir in the brown sugar.
3. During the next 10 minutes of cooking, stir the onions about every minute or so to prevent them from sticking to the skillet bottom and burning.
4. The caramelized onions are done once the onions are lightly browned; the entire cooking process should take about 25-30 minutes.
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