Pineapple pizza, love it or hate it?
There is this on-going debate about pineapple pizza. My son-in-law loathes it, he feels that there is no place for pineapple on pizza. I, on the other hand, enjoy the juxtaposition of the saltiness of the ham and the sweetness of the pineapple. So, the debate goes on. I don’t really see what all the fuss is about. I find that a pizza crust is a great canvas for experimenting on. Just the other day I made mild antipasto and curd cheese pizza. I had never used antipasto on a pizza before and found that the combination was delightful and while not your average go-to pizza toppings, it was delicious.
Pineapple pizza, usually referred to as Hawaiian Pizza, offers that mix of sweet and savoury which most traditional pizza combinations don’t offer. Maybe it’s the thought of sweetness on pizza which is not primarily attractive to some. And yet, in another form, the same dough can be made into cinnamon buns or beaver tails and then it seems to be okay.
Here are some other sweet and savoury pizza combinations that might spark its own new debates.
Pear and Prosciutto
Spread your favourite pizza sauce over your rolled-out dough. Slice up firm pears, skin and all. Make sure that the pear slices are not too thin otherwise they could dry out in the baking. Add goat cheese and a little mozzarella for a bit of cheesy goodness. Bake that in the oven for eight to ten minutes at five hundred degrees. As soon as you take it out of the oven, add the sliced, cold prosciutto and fresh arugula.
Peach, Raspberry and Ham
I would brush a little garlic oil on the crust and bake it at five hundred degrees for about five to eight minutes or until golden brown, then generously top with chopped cooked ham, fresh raspberries and peach slices. I add the fruit after the baking so that they do not become too soft. The ham can be baked if you prefer it to be warm. A soft creamy cheese would be really nice with this, like a brie or bocconcini. I like the bocconcini because it adds texture to the pizza but does not upstage the other flavours.
Blueberry Pizza with ricotta, caramelized shallots and bacon
In in a saucepan, sauté shallots in olive oil, butter and a little brown sugar for about thirty minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add a little salt to draw out the natural flavours. Once your dough is rolled or stretched-out, spread ricotta cheese on the uncooked crust, you can also cover it with a little grated mozzarella cheese. Add the caramelized shallots and bacon bits and sprinkle thyme over that, then and add your blueberries. Bake at high oven for eight to ten minutes. You can add a little fresh grated parmesan cheese when you’ve taken it out of the oven. You may prefer to add the blueberries after baking so that they won’t get soft.
If you are looking for more homemade pizza inspiration, visit us at our new pizza boutique at 127 Queen St., in Lennoxville from Tuesday to Saturday, we are here to serve you.