In the Hands of a Chef (19 page)

Pizza peels are available in home versions with a short handle. They’re an inexpensive accessory that can help avert a disastrous spill. If you don’t have a peel, assemble your pizzas on an upside-down sheet pan dusted with cornmeal or a rimless cookie sheet, then slide them off the sheet onto the pizza stone.

A
ll of my pizza recipes
call for a pound of pizza dough. Because most people don’t own multiple pizza stones, or a stone large enough to accommodate more than one pizza at a time, the recipes usually suggest rolling out the dough, topping the crust, and baking each pizza individually. While one pizza bakes, you prepare the next. This works if you’re adding pizza to an array of hors d’oeuvres, or if your gatherings tend to be the loose sort of affairs where everyone gravitates to the kitchen.

But what if you want to serve your pizza all at once, say, as a separate course at the type of dinner when guests aren’t supposed to stroll into the kitchen as each pizza finishes?

My preference is to make a single large pizza, rolling the dough into whatever irregular shape strikes my fancy—oblong or roughly oval, sometimes with a weird extension or two. Everyone loves the “rustica” just-tossed-off look when it arrives at the table, hot and ready for slicing. If your heart is set on serving individual pizzas, dispense with the pizza stone altogether. Instead, bake all the pizzas at once on sheet pans dusted with cornmeal. What you lose in crispiness, you gain in convenience. A third solution is to choose a recipe like the Smoked Salmon Pizza, in which all the crusts are baked first, then the topping added. Keep the crusts warm on top of the oven (don’t pile them up or cover them—they’ll get soggy), top all of them at the same time, and serve.

I
n this fortuitous dish, a
couple of different ideas find expression in a single recipe. Ever since I tasted Gorgonzola drizzled with honey at Checchino restaurant in Rome, I’d thought about experimenting with a honey and cheese combination on an appetizer pizza. Instead of Gorgonzola, which struck me as a little too pungent, I opted for Taleggio, a soft-ripening, washed-rind cheese from Lombardy. Figs, a traditional partner with Taleggio, made a good addition to the combination. Use an amber honey whose character will contribute something besides simple sweetness—I like “autumn honey, “ a deep, almost black honey that begins appearing in New England farmers’ markets in October.

1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough (page 123) at room
temperature

Flour for rolling out the dough

Cornmeal for dusting

4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

12 ounces fresh ricotta

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 ounces Taleggio, trimmed of rind and cut into
½-inch cubes

12 large fresh figs (or dried figs, soaked in water at
least 30 minutes, drained, and patted dry), cut
into quarters

32 medium sage leaves

¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan

1½ to 2 tablespoons high-quality honey

DO AHEAD:
Make the dough.

1.
Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 500°F.

2.
Cut the pizza dough into 4 equal pieces and roll into balls. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.

3.
Using plenty of flour, roll a dough ball into a circle about 8 inches in diameter. Push the crust together to thicken it slightly around the edge for a rim. Or, if you want to use your hands instead of a rolling pin, first press the ball flat with your palm. Starting at the center of the disk, use your fingertips to stretch the dough, working outward; try to maintain an even thickness as you work. Leave the dough a little thicker around the edge to form a rim.

4.
Transfer the circle to a peel or sheet pan sprinkled with cornmeal. Dimple the dough with your fingertips so it doesn’t puff up during baking. Brush 1 teaspoon of the olive oil over the dough or rub it on with your fingertips, leaving a ½-inch border around the edge.

5.
Season the ricotta with salt and pepper. Spread one-quarter of the ricotta over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border. Distribute one-quarter each of the Taleggio, figs, and sage leaves evenly over the pizza. Sprinkle with one-quarter of the Parmesan.

6.
Slide the pizza onto the pizza stone and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is crispy, the topping bubbly and brown. While the first pizza is baking, prepare the second.

7.
Remove the pizza from the oven with the peel, or slide it onto a sheet pan, and transfer to a cutting board. Place the second pizza in the oven. Cut the finished pizza into 4 slices, place in a plate, drizzle with honey, and serve. Start working on the third pizza, and repeat the process until you’ve finished all 4 pizzas.

A
s a young cook,
I
used to make pizza Margherita, the traditional combination using tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella. Over time I experimented, adding other cheeses to the mozzarella and omitting the tomatoes. Eventually I ended up with this pizza, which I called a Margherita Bianca. Some years later I read that the original pizza was named after Queen Margherita of Savoy and the topping reflected the colors of the Italian flag—green, white, and red. Somewhat sheepishly, I changed the name to this one, and vowed to be more scrupulous about my treatment of traditional culinary terms in the future. Regardless of the name, you can’t beat this combination of mozzarella, Asiago, fresh ricotta, ricotta salata, and Parmesan. Caramelized onions offer a nice counterpoint to the richness of the cheese. An optional drizzle of truffle oil adds a final luxurious touch.

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough (page 123), at room

temperature

Flour for rolling out the dough

Cornmeal for dusting

12 ounces fresh ricotta

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into ¼-inch slices

4 ounces ricotta salata, cut into ½-inch dice

½ cup grated Asiago

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 to 2 tablespoons white truffle oil (optional)

DO AHEAD:
Make the dough and caramelize the onions.

1.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden, caramelized, and sweet, 30 to 40 minutes. Do not let them cook too fast, or they’ll dry out and burn rather than caramelize; add a little water if they look too dry. Let them cool before using.

2.
As the onions draw close to finishing, place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 500°F.

3.
Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll into balls. Drape with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.

4.
Using plenty of flour, roll a dough ball into a circle about 8 inches in diameter. Push the crust together to thicken it slightly around the edge for a rim. Or, if you want to use your hands instead of a rolling pin, first press the ball flat with your palm. Starting at the center of the disk, use your fingertips to stretch the dough, working outward; try to maintain an even thickness as you work. Leave the dough a little thicker around the edge to form a rim.

5.
Transfer the circle to a peel or a sheet pan sprinkled with cornmeal. Dimple the dough with your fingertips so it doesn’t puff up during baking. Brush 1 teaspoon of the olive oil over the dough or rub it on with your fingertips, leaving a ½-inch border around the edge.

6.
Season the fresh ricotta with salt and pepper. Spread one-quarter of the ricotta over the dough, leaving the border uncovered. Top with one-quarter each of the onions and oregano. Distribute one-quarter of each of the remaining 4 cheeses over the dough.

7.
Slide the pizza onto the pizza stone and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the crust is crispy, the topping bubbly and brown. While the first pizza is baking, prepare the second.

8.
Remove the pizza from the oven with the peel, or slide it onto a sheet pan, and transfer to a cutting board. Place the second pizza in the oven. Cut the finished pizza into 4 slices, place on a plate, drizzle with truffle oil, if using, and serve. Start working on the third pizza, and repeat the process until you’ve finished all 4 pizzas.

T
hese pizzas make an easy
first course because the crusts are baked ahead, then the toppings added, making it easy to serve four individual pizzas at the same time. Mascarpone is the gourmand’s cream cheese and a great partner for smoked salmon. Think of this as the most heavenly lox and cream cheese you’ve ever eaten.

MAKES FOUR 8-INCH THIN-CRUST PIZZAS

1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough (page 123), at room
temperature

Flour for rolling out the dough

Cornmeal for dusting

4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

¾ to 1 pound mascarpone (1½ to 2 cups)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound thinly sliced smoked salmon

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

4 lemon wedges

DO AHEAD:
Make the dough.

1.
Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 500°F.

2.
Cut the pizza dough into 4 equal pieces and roll into balls. Drape with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.

3.
Using plenty of flour, roll a dough ball into a circle about 8 inches in diameter. Push the crust together to thicken it slightly around the edge for a rim. Or, if you want to use your hands instead of a rolling pin, first press the ball flat with your palm. Starting at the center of the disk, use your fingertips to stretch the dough, working outward; try to maintain an even thickness as you work. Leave the dough a little thicker around the edge to form a rim.

4.
Transfer the circle to a peel or a sheet pan sprinkled with cornmeal. Dimple the dough with your fingertips so it doesn’t puff up during baking. Brush 1 teaspoon olive oil over the dough or rub it on with your fingertips.

5.
Slide the pizza onto the pizza stone and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown. While the first crust is baking, roll out the second and brush with oil.

6.
Remove the crust from the oven with the peel, or slide it onto a sheet pan, and keep warm, uncovered, on top of the oven. Place the next circle of dough in the oven. Start working on the third ball of dough, and repeat the process until you’ve finished all 4 crusts. Don’t stack or cover the finished crusts—they’ll get soggy.

7.
Spread each warm crust with one-quarter of the mascarpone, leaving a ½-inch border. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange one-quarter of the salmon on top of each pizza and then sprinkle with the capers, chives, and additional pepper. Garnish each pizza with a lemon wedge, and serve.

T
he original Roman or Neapolitan
approach to pizza was to fashion a very thin crust in an extremely narrow oval, perhaps four or five times as long as it was wide, to be served to a group of diners on a long thin plank. The pizza was sliced crosswise into pieces that could be folded in half for convenient eating. The topping was often no more than olive oil and a dense dusting of rosemary or oregano, sometimes pared with minimalist shavings of mushrooms or other vegetables, anchovies, prosciutto, or another meat. The point was the brick-baked crust, with just enough topping for a snack to tide you over until you went home, where the really serious eating occurred.

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough (page 123), at room

temperature Flour for rolling out the dough Cornmeal for dusting

1½ cups coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

½ cup grated Fontina

¼ cup grated Asiago

8 thin slices prosciutto

DO AHEAD:
Make the dough.

1.
Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 500°F.

2.
Heat the olive oil in a small sauté pan over low heat. Add the garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Take care not to let it burn. Let cool.