Quince, Pistachio & Purple Potatoes
Homemade poached quince puree, caramelized yellow onions, pistachios, rosemary & garlic roasted purple potatoes, shaved aged cheddar
Recipe
Ingredients: 1 ball pizza dough flour for dusting
semolina flour for pizza stone olive oil salt & pepper
2-3 purple potatoes, thinly sliced 1 sprig of rosemary leaves, minced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 hunk aged cheddar, shaved 1 yellow onion, sliced 1 tablespoon brown sugar dash of sherry vinegar handful of pistachios
For the poached quince*: 2-3 quince, peeled, seeded, cut into wedges 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup sugar 2 cups water juice of 1 lemon
Directions: The poached quince should be made first. You should poach it the night before for the best results, but it will still taste delicious if you make it day-of. Add the water, sugar, lemon & vanilla to a medium pot. Add the quince wedges as you cut them so that they don’t turn brown from sitting out.
Bring the pot to a simmer, then turn the heat down as far as it will go and cover the pot. Let the mixture simmer for about an hour, or until the fruit is tender and can be easily pierced with a fork. Then remove the pot from the heat and let the syrup cool. Put the entire mixture in the fridge to cool overnight, or use it right away if you don’t have time. The longer it sits, the deeper the color will become.
When you’re ready to prepare the rest of your pizza, preheat your oven to 400° F. Toss the potato slices in olive oil with the rosemary, garlic and a couple pinches of salt & pepper. Lay them out on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes. Check on them about halfway through to take out any extra thin ones that are getting crispy, and flip the rest. When they are all finished, take them out and increase the oven temperature to 550° F.
Meanwhile, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and add your onion slices. Once the pan is hot, reduce the heat to low or medium-low and let the onions simmer.
After about 20-30 minutes, you can add a pinch of salt and a couple pinches of brown sugar, and a dash of sherry vinegar. Let the onions soften and caramelize for a while—I like to let them sit on the heat for at least 45 minutes total, if not longer.
When you’re poached quince are ready, take them out of the syrup and puree them in a blender until the consistency is smooth and the majority of the chunks are gone.
Prepare your dough using the instructions on the right. When it has baked for about a minute, take it out and brush it lightly with olive oil. Then add the quince puree in an even layer across the pizza, followed by the shaved cheddar, potatoes, onions & pistachios. Bake it in the oven until the cheese is melty and the crust is golden brown—and then it’s ready to eat!
*Chances are this will leave you with more poached quince than you'll need for the pizza. You can use the leftover puree as a jam, turn it into sorbet, or even add it to muffin or pancake batter. Or, if you don't want to puree what you're not using for pizza, you can enjoy the leftover quince wedges over ice cream—you can even strain out the syrup and use it to make cocktails! There are just so many possibilities. Come to think of it, maybe you should make even more poached quince than the recipe calls for.