Pear Pizzette

The following recipe and photography was provided courtesy of our friends at Stemilt. 

At this time of year, a pear a day makes our taste buds say “yay! Don’t just munch on any pear,  grab the amazingly sweet, juicy Stemilt Organic Concorde Pear! Known for its vanilla-like flavor, it’s the perfect complement to the  Bavarian bleu cheese, radicchio and fennel on this sweet and savory pizzette.

Pear Pizzette

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 16 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 16 oz. fresh pizza dough
• All-purpose flour, to prep work surface
• 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small head radicchio, damaged outer leaves removed, halved, small core removed, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
• 1 large fennel bulb, fronds and stems removed, quartered and woody center removed, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
• Canola oil spray, to prep grill
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil, to brush dough
• 4 oz. Bavaria Bleu cheese (bleu and brie blend), roughly chopped
• 3 Stemilt pears, quartered, cored, stem removed, thinly sliced
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 2 cups fresh arugula, loosely packed (or more, as preferred)

Instructions

1. 30 to 45 minutes prior to beginning, remove the pizza dough from fridge. Place on a lightly floured work surface and cut into quarters. Shape each quarter into a rough ball and let sit to come to room temp.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and fennel to skillet. Cook, stirring intermittently until onion is translucent and slightly golden; about 10 to 12 minutes. Add radicchio, salt and sugar to onion mixture. Stir well to combine, cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside.
3. Working one-quarter of dough at a time, pinch dough into a flat circle/round shape using the tips of your fingers.  Rotate the dough as you work,  allowing the opposite end of where you are holding the dough to hang down (let gravity assist you in creating the shape).
4. Continue pinching and rotating dough until it stretches to an approximate 7-inch round. (Place round over a closed fist, using your other hand to pull edges and thin the center of dough, if needed.
5. Once each quarter of dough is shaped to size, spray large rectangular cast iron grill generously with canola oil spray and heat grill on stovetop over medium-high heat.
6. Working with two pizzettes at a time, brush tops lightly with canola oil and place each on grill, oil-side down. Then brush the up-facing sides with canola oil. Cook until the bottoms begin to brown, about 4 to 6 minutes, then turn over.
7. Dot each pizzette with 1/4 portion of the bleu cheese and top with approximately 1 1/2 cups of onion mixture.

Click Here to Print Recipe for Pear Pizzettes.