Fig and Bacon Pizza with Blue Cheese, Cream, and Chives
This fig and bacon pizza has it all: creamy blue cheese, salty and crispy bacon, sweet and tender figs, and bright-tasting chives.
Makes: 1 (12- to 14-inch) pizza
Cost: $15
Equipment
- Skillet
- pastry brush
- Rolling pin (optional)
- Large rimmed baking sheet or baking stone/steel
- Pizza peel (optional)
Ingredients
- 10 dried figs
- 5 to 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough
- 4 ounces creamy blue cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F (if using a baking sheet) or as high as it will go (if using a baking stone/steel; place the stone/steel in the bottom third of the oven before you start preheating). Let the oven preheat for at least 30 minutes. Then, if you’re using a baking stone or steel, switch the oven to Broil on high.
- Place the figs in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let the figs steep for 10 minutes, then drain well, pat the figs dry, and cut them into thin slices.
- Cook the chopped bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until it just begins to crisp up at the edges, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the bacon to a paper towel–lined plate to drain. Reserve a few tablespoons of bacon grease in the skillet for brushing on the dough.
- Stretch or roll out your dough to a 12- to 14-inch circle, then transfer it to a baking sheet / pizza pan or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).
- Pour the cream into a measuring cup or other container with a spout. Using a pastry brush, coat the dough lightly with a tablespoon or so of bacon grease. Scatter on the bacon and fig slices, sprinkle the crumbled blue cheese on top, and drizzle with half of the cream.
- Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese has browned in spots—8 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet, 6 to 8 minutes on the baking stone/steel.
- Remove the pizza from the oven, then immediately drizzle the remaining cream over top. Sprinkle the chives on the pizza and season with a pinch of salt and a grind or two of pepper. Let rest for a few minutes; slice and serve.