Mimosa Pizza: White Pizza with Ham and Sweetcorn

Step-by-step recipe

1. As a rule, Mimosa pizza is made on a fairly thick, fluffy yeast dough, although there are plenty of versions on a thin, crispy base. While the dough is rising, get the main ingredients ready, and the white sauce first of all. The original pizzas use prosciutto; at home you can buy any ready-made ham, and sliced ham is sold in every shop. For the sweetcorn, one small can is enough. To boost the flavour, I recommend adding lightly pickled sweet white onion.
   
2. The yeast pizza dough recipe is simple and works every time. You can make the base soft and fluffy or thin and crispy, as you like: it all depends on how long the dough rests in the pan. The original recipes use so-called cooking cream as the sauce. You can buy it, but it is easier and quicker to make the amount of bechamel you need. Everything as usual: melt a piece of butter and add the flour. Once the butter and flour have come together, pour in the milk. Stirring, bring the sauce to a smooth consistency with no lumps. Salt and nutmeg are optional.
   
3. If you have decided to use pickled white onion, peel it and cut it into thin strips. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of white wine vinegar and leave for 10 mins. Then drain off the liquid and squeeze the onion lightly. Put the dough in the pan and let it rise to the thickness you want, which takes up to 30 mins. I advise against making the dough too thin: Mimosa pizza is at its best on a fluffy base with a crispy bottom. Spread the sauce over the dough and scatter the pickled onion on top.
   
4. Cut the ham or prosciutto into large, thin pieces. Drain all the liquid from the canned sweetcorn. Arrange the ham over the sauce and fill the gaps with the sweetcorn kernels. Press the topping down lightly with your palms. Finally, dice the mozzarella and scatter it over the topping. Drizzle a little olive oil over everything.
   
5. By this time the oven should be preheated to 180-190 °C. Put the pan with the pizza in the oven. The baking time is usually 20 mins. It is better to bake a little longer, so that the bottom of the dough starts to brown and turns slightly crispy. The topping is quite soft, and a firmer base helps the slices hold their shape. Serve the pizza as soon as it is ready. Cut it into 6 or 8 slices with a pizza wheel. The taste is very delicate and slightly sweet, and the topping ingredients go together beautifully. A handful of rocket or green basil leaves is often added at the very end, just before serving.
   
6. If you use cooking cream (crema di cucina) as the sauce, the topping may turn out too soft. Keep that in mind and use low-moisture mozzarella. Drain the sweetcorn thoroughly. Thinly sliced ham can curl up while the pizza bakes, so you can weigh it down in advance with the sweetcorn and mozzarella.