Grilled Nectarines & Sage Chips
Mascarpone, raspberry balsamic reduction, grilled nectarines, pine nuts, fried sage chips
Recipe
Ingredients: 1 ball of pizza dough flour for dusting
semolina flour for pizza stone olive oil salt & pepper handful of pine nuts bunch of sage leaves 2-3 nectarines, sliced into wedges ½-1 cup mascarpone cheese
For the balsamic reduction: 1 ½ cups balsamic vinegar 1 ½ cups fresh raspberries 3 tablespoons sugar
Directions: Preheat your oven to 550° F, or as hot as it will go. Heat the balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan until it reaches about 175° F. Add the sugar and increase the temperature until it is almost at a boil, then add the raspberries. Continue to stir until the mixture has reduced by about two thirds, then take it off the heat and set aside.
Preheat your grill pan (we use a Cuisinart Griddler, but anything with ridges will work) to medium high. When it’s hot enough, lay the nectarines out in batches and cook until they have grill marks on both sides.
To make the sage chips, put about a half inch of olive oil in a deep skillet or small saucepan and heat on medium-high. Drop the fresh sage leaves carefully into the hot oil until they are slightly browned—this should only take a minute or two if your oil is hot enough.
Put the fried sage leaves on a paper towel-lined plate to dry and sprinkle with sea salt. Make sure you salt them before they dry so that the salt will stick to the leaves.
Next, prepare your dough using the directions on the right. After it’s been in the oven for a minute, take it out and brush it lightly with olive oil. Spoon out the raspberry sauce in an even layer, followed by spoonfuls of the mascarpone.
Add the grilled nectarines, pine nuts & sage chips, and pop it in the oven. Bake until the cheese has melted and the crust is a nice golden brown, then take it out and enjoy!