Fig Pizza

Saturday we found black mission figs in our Bountiful Basket. There were 7 figs in a plastic container. Mark and I each tried one. They were soft and ripe and tasty. I quickly hid the final five in the back of the fridge and got on the internet to find a recipe for fig pizza. I've always wanted to try one. Now was my chance.

The recipe I liked best was at this site. I put prosciutto and gorgonzola on my shopping list. Then I realized I had some Tillamook extra-sharp white cheddar cheese in my fridge that needed to be used. I also had a few slices of nice deli ham that needed a place to land. No need to go shopping, I had everything I needed right here at home. The resulting pizza was DELICIOUS! So many layers of flavor. I have some figs in my freezer that I got from Costco a while back. I think next time I'll see if they work on a pizza with the gorgonzola and prosciutto.


Fig, Prosciutto, Gorgonzola and Caramelised Onion Pizza

For the topping
Small handful of uncooked polenta
4 or 5 figs, sliced 
6 thin strips of prosciutto
Approx 200g Gorgonzola - or blue cheese you like
2 large onions, halved and then finely sliced
2 tbs butter
1 tsp olive oil
Approx 2 tbs of fresh, chopped rosemary
Approx 1 tbs honey
Approx 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 220C and prepare your pizza tray (I used a rectangular baking tray) by scattering the polenta over the tray and lightly tapping the bottom to ensure that it is evenly dispersed across the tray.
2. Prepare your pizza dough according to this recipe or one of your choice.
3. While the dough is rising, add the butter and oil to a heavy based pan over a low to medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the rosemary and onion and cook down for about 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the pan down to prevent the onion from catching and burning. Once done, transfer the onions to a bowl lined with paper towel. Set aside.
4. Assemble the figs, Gorgonzola, prosciutto, honey and balsamic vinegar.
5. Once your dough has risen, knead according to the recipe and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll your dough into your desired shape and place it carefully on your tray, gather the edges to form the crust.
6. Top the dough with the onion, spreading it out evenly over the base.
7. Arrange the figs, Gorgonzola and prosciutto over the onions and drizzle with the honey and balsamic. Season to taste.
8. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the crusts have turned light brown and crispy.
9. Carefully take out of the oven and transfer the pizza to a board to slice up and eat.