Reason #5,723 why pizza is the best: Even when you flap the dough onto a super-hot grill with zero finesse, creating a Dali-esque blob, and then you drop a pear through the grates and the resulting flare-up chars the bottom of the crust well before the cheese has melted, it can still turn into one of the most delicious bites you've had all season. This pear pizza is my ode to imperfect cooking, and a reminder that grilling season is far from over.
Don't have a grill? Just broil the pears instead: get your oven as hot as possible, set it to broil, and bake the pizza for 6 to 8 minutes.
Grilled Pear, Pesto, and Pecorino Pizza
Recipe Type: Pizza
Author:
Serves: 1 (12-inch) pizza
An elegant, grilled fall pizza with tender, grilled pears, zippy arugula pesto, and pecorino cheese
Ingredients
- [b]For the pesto:[/b]
- ½ cup (tightly packed) baby arugula
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons finely grated pecorino cheese
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- [b]For the pizza:[/b]
- 2 medium pears (ripe but still firm), halved lengthwise, core scooped out with a spoon
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
- 1 (14 to 16-ounce) ball [url href="http://www.thursdaynightpizza.com/the-basics-the-only-pizza-dough-recipe-youll-ever-need-2/" target="_blank"]Basic[/url] or [url href="http://www.thursdaynightpizza.com/slow-rise-pizza-dough/" target="_blank"]Slow-Rise[/url] Pizza Dough (or pre-made pizza dough)
- 1 cup grated pecorino cheese
Instructions
- Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high. Assemble the following tools and keep them within arm’s reach from the grill: an oven mitt, long-handled tongs, a large spatula or pizza peel, and a large cutting board for the finished pizza.
- To make the pesto: In the bowl of a small/mini food processor, combine the arugula, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, pecorino, and salt. Pulse until everything is very finely chopped, then, with the motor running, stream in the olive oil and process until it’s completely incorporated. (If you don’t have a mini food processor, you can make the pesto with a mortar and pestle or an immersion blender.
- To grill the pears: Brush the pears on both sides with olive oil. Grill them 5 minutes per side or until they are charred. Remove them from the grill, let them cool, and slice thinly.
- On a tray, assemble the following: 1 ramekin of olive oil, a pastry brush, the pesto (with a spoon for spreading), the pears, the cheese, and a small bowl of salt. Make sure you this tray is within reach when the dough goes on the grill.
- To stretch out the dough: Place the dough on a floured cutting board and, using your hands, gently stretch it into a 12-inch square or disk, making sure that it retains the same thickness throughout (more or less). (Alternatively, you can roll it out to a 12-inch square or circle.)
- To grill the pizza: Brush the dough with olive oil, making sure to get all the way to the edges. Carefully transfer the dough to the grill, oiled-side down, and grill for 3 minutes or until it puffs a bit and the bottom shows grill marks. Using long-handled tongs, flip the dough. Brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Working quickly, the pesto all over the crust, arrange the pears on top, and finish with the cheese. Close the grill lid and cook for 5 minutes or until the cheese has begun to melt.
- Remove the pizza from the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes; slice and serve.
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