Pizza Party and BBQ Pear, Gorgonzola, and Onion Pizza

Pizza is my favorite food. It’s true. I crave it at least once a week and always prepare a batch of pizza dough over the weekend just in case my cravings kick in. Growing up, every Friday night was pizza night in our family. We would always order a large cheese pie from the local pizzeria near my childhood home in Brooklyn. I prefer just cheese and would always ask for a plain slice with no toppings. Dad loves chicken on his pizza and would order a slice topped with chicken on his own if we all decide to order a plain cheese pie. The rest of us are traditionalists most of the time, but we can be flexible with any toppings. When my family came to visit Kevin and I in Ohio over Thanksgiving weekend, we just had to have a pizza party to celebrate the holidays. Thanksgiving Day was reserved for indulging and since we didn’t have a lot of leftovers after Thanksgiving dinner, we didn’t have to find creative ways to work in the leftovers the next day. Instead, we decided to have a pizza party to help clean out some of the ingredients chilling in our refrigerator. A pizza party was the perfect way to feed and please a crowd. On the evening of Thanksgiving, I prepared a large batch of my pizza dough just for our pizza party on Friday. The dough was left in a cool area to rise undisturbed overnight. Early Friday morning, I divided up the dough into four equal pieces and made a variety of pizzas to serve my family for brunch. I made two BBQ chicken pizzas, a spin on my BBQ turkey pizza, a chicken, fruit, and vegetable pizza, and a new creation — a BBQ pear, Gorgonzola, and onion pizza. The last creation turned out to be a huge hit with my family. They loved the flavor combination of all of the ingredients on the pizza. The sliced pear added a delightful sweetness to the pizza. The Gorgonzola added a sharp and salty bite. The onion (once caramelized in the high heat) brought out another element of sweetness. I added some cooked and crisped cubed chicken just for dad. The sauce for the pizza was prepared pizza sauce, which added a smokiness and sweetness to the pizza. The five of us (mom, dad, aunt, Kevin, and I) just devoured all of the slices of pizza within the span of ten minutes. We barely spoke throughout brunch as we just enjoyed the flavors and aromas of the pizzas. Although I just had pizza several days ago, my pizza cravings kicked in again this week. Luckily, my professional baking course was coming to an end and we celebrated by having a pizza party using some of the biga dough we made earlier in the course. This time around, I made my favorite pizza of all times — the classic Margherita to share with all of my classmates. In between decorating and frosting a cake in class, I stretched the pizza dough as thin as I possible could without tearing the dough while still leaving a slightly thicker border for the crust. The pizza was baked in a convection oven for several minutes and taken out immediately. My Margherita pizza turned out just the way I imagined it. Even after eating so many slices of pizza over the last few days, I still can’t seem to get enough of this carb topped goodness. The best part about making and serving pizza is the endless variations of toppings and sauces. Having a pizza party where guests can pick their own toppings can satisfy even the pickiest of eaters.

For the pizza dough:

· 2½ cups double zero flour or all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading the dough
· ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
· 1 teaspoon kosher salt
· 1 teaspoon fine sugar
· ¾-1 cup water
· 2 teaspoons olive oil

· 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the rest of the pizza:

· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 3 tablespoons prepared or homemade barbecue sauce
· ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
· ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
· 1 ounce Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
· 1 ounce mozzarella cheese, cubed or hand shredded
· 1 ounce Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
· ½ of a pear, thinly sliced
· ¼ of an onion, cut into thinly halfmoon strips
· ¼ of a cooked and cubed chicken breast

· 1-2 sprigs fresh basil, stems removed and chiffonade

Directions:

1) Prepare the pizza dough the evening before. In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Stir to combine all ingredients. Gradually add in ¾ cup of water to the mixture. Begin kneading the dough. Gradually add more water if needed. Add the two teaspoons of olive oil. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes directly in the large bowl or on a lightly floured surface. Drizzle the tablespoon of olive oil in the large bowl. Coat the dough in the olive oil and let it rest in the bowl. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over the bowl. Let the dough rise in a cool area undisturbed overnight.

2) In the morning, preheat oven to 500°F with a pizza stone placed on the center rack. Place a sheet of parchment paper over a pizza peel. Divide the dough in half. Reshape both halves into a ball. Place one of the balls of dough onto the parchment lined pizza peel. Save the other ball of dough to use later (or right after). Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough as thin as possible on the pizza peel. Alternatively, you can also use both hands to stretch the pizza in a circular motion.

3) Brush on a thin layer of olive oil using the tablespoon of olive oil. Add the barbecue sauce and spread all over the pizza dough in circles starting from the center. Evenly distribute the kosher salt, and freshly cracked black pepper all over the pizza dough. Distribute the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, mozzarella cheese, Gorgonzola cheese, sliced pear, onion strips, and chicken (if adding) evenly over the pizza. Gently glide the pizza and parchment paper onto the pizza stone and bake for 9-12 minutes.

4) Remove the pizza from the oven once the crust begins to bubble up and turn golden brown around the edges. Let the pizza rest for a couple minutes before topping with fresh basil.