Mini "Cheese Course" Pizzas
Ingredients
Pizza dough:
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup warm water
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon olive oil
- Additional flour , as necessary
Balsamic Port Reduction Sauce:
- 1 bottle Port wine
- ½ cup carrots , chopped
- ½ cup onions , chopped
- ½ cup celery , chopped
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar , or to taste
Candied Walnuts:
- 1 cup walnuts
- ⅓ powdered sugar
- 4 cups vegetable oil , for frying
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper , or to taste
To assemble the pizzas:
- Pizza dough
- Balsamic port wine reduction
- 1 cup Gorgonzola cheese , crumbled
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese , shredded
- 1 cup Candied walnuts , recipe follows
- 2 cups Baby arugula
- 1 cup red grapes , sliced in half
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
To make the pizza dough:
- Stir together the yeast, 1 tablespoon of the flour, and ¼ cup of the warm water and let stand until surface appears creamy, about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl or in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, stir together 1 ¼ cup flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture, oil, and remaining ½ cup warm water and stir until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour so that the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.
- Knead dough by hand or with the dough hook until soft and elastic, about 8 minutes. Form dough into one ball, or 6 if making mini pizzas. Put in a greased bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 ½ hours.
- With lightly floured hands, shape each dough round into a disk by holding one edge of dough in the air with both hands. Move hands around the edge of dough (like turning a steering wheel), allowing the weight of dough to stretch the round to about 6 inches. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
To make the balsamic glaze:
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and saute for a few minutes until slightly browned.
- Add the wine and thyme sprigs and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for a one hour until reduced to ½ cup, stirring occasionally.
- Strain with a mesh strainer into a small bowl. Stir in balsamic vinegar and add sugar to sweeten, if desired.
To make the candied walnuts:
- Put walnuts in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and simmer until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Drain, then transfer to paper towels to dry completely, about 45 minutes.
- Stir together the walnuts and powdered sugar in a small bowl.
- Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat to 350°F. Fry walnuts in small batches until browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and cayenne while they are still warm.
To assemble the pizzas:
- Preheat grill on high for 10 minutes, covered. Reduce heat to medium high.
- Brush the tops of the prepared pizza rounds with olive oil and place face down on the grill. Brush the other side with olive oil. Flip over after 1-2 minutes, when underside is lightly browned. Sprinkle the top with some Gorgonzola cheese and Parmesan cheese and cook for an additional 3 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Remove from grill and top with some baby arugula, grapes, and candied walnuts, and drizzle with the balsamic port reduction sauce.
Calories: 671kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 50g, Saturated Fat: 22g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 1342mg, Potassium: 380mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 2344IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 344mg, Iron: 3mg
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