Christmas Pizza
Our interpretation of gingerbread, sugarplums & peppermint: Ginger-mint pesto (with cashews, fresh ginger & mint leaves, garlic & sugar), shaved manchego cheese, pine nuts, roasted plums (with sugar, butter, and a toasted hazelnut topping), arugula
Admittedly, this pizza is a loose interpretation of Christmas flavors. Ginger-mint pesto represents both gingerbread and peppermint (you know, candy canes, etc.), and while our sugar-roasted plums are not what was originally intended by the term "sugarplums," they are still, well, that. Plus, the whole pizza is red and green! It counts, people. And it's delicious, which is is even more important.
Recipe
Ingredients: 1 ball of pizza dough olive oil flour for dusting
semolina flour for the pizza stone salt & pepper 4 plums, pitted & halved (if you can’t find plums, feel free to use pears as a substitute) 1 tablespoon butter, melted 1 tablespoon plus ¼ teaspoon sugar about ½ cup hazelnuts 2 ½ cups fresh packed mint leaves 1 ½ tablespoons ginger, peeled & minced 1/3 cup salted roasted cashews 1-2 garlic cloves, minced handful of pine nuts hunk of manchego cheese, shaved handful of arugula
Directions: Preheat your oven to 375° F. While it’s heating, combine the mint, ginger, cashews, garlic and ½ cup of olive oil in a food processor, adding salt & pepper to taste.
When the oven is hot, place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast them for about 7 minutes. Take them out and let them cool a bit before chopping them.
Meanwhile, place your plums on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the cut side of the plums with the melted butter and sprinkle with a tablespoon of sugar. Put them in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes.
When they are finished, let them cool and slice into wedges. Increase your oven temperature to 550° F, and begin to prepare your dough using the instructions on the right.
When the oven is hot and your dough has baked for a minute, brush it lightly with olive oil, followed by a thin layer of the pesto. Lay out the cheese shavings and plum slices, and then sprinkle the pine nuts and hazelnuts.
Bake the pizza in the oven until the cheese is melty and the crust is golden brown. Take it out and add the fresh arugula, and then you’re ready to fill your sleigh with Christmas pizza.