Saturday, February 19, 2011

Pizza with Bacon, Caramelized Onion and Cream

This recipe is so perfect in the balance of flavors and textures that there's no way to improve upon it.  I made it for this afternoons tea and it was a huge hit all around with four out of four people adoring it.

Pizza with Bacon, Onions and Cream [Alsatian Pizza]
Stolen from Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from André Soltner via Food & Wine
Serves 4 for a light dinner with a salad; can be divided to 8 appetizer portions or 16 tiny party portions
1/2 pound pizza dough
Olive oil, for oiling baking sheets
1/2 cup fromage blanc or ricotta
1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 pound thickly sliced smoky bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Preheat oven to 450°F. In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon crisps up. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Add onion to skillet and cook until softened and beginning to caramelize (I added a pinch of sugar which aids the caramelizing process), an amount of time I forgot to write down but would estimate at 7 to 10 minutes.
Whisk together (or blend together in a food processor, if you want it silky-smooth) fromage blanc and crème fraîche with flour, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece out to a rough 8-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. If the dough becomes difficult to roll, let it rest for 10 minutes, then continue.
Oil two large baking sheets. Transfer two dough rounds to each. Spread the fromage blanc mixture over the rounds to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle with the bacon and onion. Bake on the bottom shelf of the oven for about 12 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve.

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