Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza with Honey and Pine Nuts
We are used to thinking that an Italian pizza has to come with cheese and meat. That is something of a stereotype. There are wonderful versions of this traditional dish that could easily pass for desserts. Pizza with fruit or chocolate is not unusual, nor is one topped with dried melon, and then there is the remarkably tasty pizza with slices of ripe pear and gorgonzola cheese.
This is a wonderful, slightly sweet pizza topped with blue cheese and thin slices of ripe pear. There are plenty of variations and recipes for it. Quite often the topping also includes mozzarella, parsley and oregano. The finished pizza is drizzled with a little honey and sprinkled with pine nuts. Sweet paprika, a fairly common ingredient, gives the topping a special flavor.
The amazing combination of sweet fruit and slightly sharp cheese is probably what makes this dish unique. Sweet against sharp, soft against firm is how you could describe this pizza. It brings to mind a favorite homemade pear and cheese salad, which has a similar set of ingredients. In Italian pizzerias, Pizza con pere e gorgonzola is almost always on the menu.
Gorgonzola is a traditional Italian cheese, and its name often gets misspelled with extra letters. It is a slightly sharp and very aromatic cheese from Lombardy in the north of Italy, the region around Milan. It dates back to the Middle Ages, and its name and origin are protected (Denominazione di origine protetta).
For the pear and gorgonzola pizza to turn out well, use ripe but firm fruit. Soft, very juicy pears will run and lose their shape in the oven. Very hard winter pears are better sliced in advance and stewed with a little sugar.
This pizza is usually baked with the topping added in stages. First the dough base is par-baked. Then part of the gorgonzola is spread over it, and the cheese melts within a few minutes. Next come the thinly sliced pear and the rest of the cheese. The finished pizza is drizzled with honey and sprinkled with nuts, either walnuts or pine nuts. It is often garnished with parsley or oregano.
Ingredients
26 cm pizza
- Pizza dough 200 g
- Ripe firm pear 1
- Gorgonzola 100 g
- Parmesan 1 tbsp
- Pine nuts 1 tsp
- Olive oil 1 tbsp
- Parsley 1-2 sprigs
- Honey 1 tbsp
- Oregano, sweet paprika, brown sugar as needed
Step-by-step recipe
- Pear and gorgonzola pizza works with any dough. We prefer our traditional yeast pizza dough: it never fails, and you can adjust how airy and soft it turns out. If you like, use a brewer's yeast starter or make a simple unleavened dough with baking powder. Make the dough ahead of time and lay it out in the pizza pan, then let it rise a little before baking.
- As I mentioned, we will bake the pizza with the topping added in stages rather than all at once. To begin with, the base needs a short bake on its own. The topping is too delicate: it would melt completely and go soft in the time it takes to bake the dough through, which is simply too long for it. Brush the dough with a little olive oil and put it in an oven preheated to 180°C.
- After 10 minutes you can start adding the topping. Cut the gorgonzola into cubes. Spread half of the cheese over the dough, trying to distribute it evenly. Put the pan with the dough and cheese back in the oven for 3-4 mins. During this time the cheese will start to melt.
- Meanwhile, prepare the pear. There is no need to peel it, though that is up to you. Cut the pear in half and carefully cut out the core with the seeds. Pear and gorgonzola pizza can be topped with either thinly sliced fruit or fairly chunky pieces. We usually cut the pear into thin slices and don't cook them at all.
- If you like, cut the fruit into cubes or sticks instead. In that case, sprinkle the pieces with brown sugar and stew them covered in a frying pan over the lowest heat for 4-5 mins. Thinly sliced pear can be used without any cooking. I recommend sprinkling the slices on one side with a pinch of sweet red paprika: it tastes excellent.
- Take the base out of the oven and sprinkle it with a pinch of dried oregano. Arrange the prepared pear slices and add the rest of the gorgonzola. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan, just a little of it. By the way, you can use Grana Padano instead: it is cheaper and easier to find. Put the pizza back in the oven and from here go by how done and golden the crust is. Usually 5-6 mins is enough and the pizza is ready.
- If you can, keep the pizza under the top grill for 1-2 mins. Once the pizza is baked, drizzle it with 1 tbsp of fragrant honey, linden or wildflower. As a rule, a few nuts are added right before serving. Walnuts will do, but pine nuts are best.
- Also add a few parsley or fresh oregano leaves. A few arugula leaves work too. If you like, right before serving, top the pizza with some Parmesan shavings and pear sliced paper-thin on a slicer: it looks like shavings and gives the topping extra volume. And one more thing: try adding a little chili to the pear along with the paprika.
Yield: 26 cm pizza Calories: 210 kcal per 100 g Prep: 10 mins Cook: 20 mins Ready in: 30 mins (not counting the dough) Category: Pizza Cuisine: Italian cuisine Rating: