Pear Gorgonzola Pizza

Oh why why California Pizza Kitchen?? Why must you introduce me to these delicious taste sensations and then take it off the menu?  Oh, don’t worry, I’ve convinced them ( I won’t say how) to put it back on the menu.  But now, I don’t live anywhere near a CPK!!!  When they took their pear gorgonzola pizza off the menu, I all but bribed the manager of CPK to make it for me.  They told me it wouldn’t be necessary, they would just make it because they’re nice. 

I tried a version of my own and have to say, I believe I came close to nailing it! This pizza is covered in field greens smothered in creamy gorgonzola dressing. I’m sure you can buy that, but it’s fairly easy to whip up a batch.

Creamy Gorgonzola Dressing (only makes a little bit):

 ¼ Cup Mayo

¼ Cup Sour Cream

2 tsp lemon juice

Garlic and onion powder (my house seasoning J )

Salt and Pepper

1-2 TBS crumbled gorgonzola cheese (it’s strong so it’s a personal taste)

Mix all ingredients.  I tried to break up the cheese as much as possible in the dressing to infuse the flavor and get rid of big chunks .  Cover and refrigerate.

Pizza:

Refrigerated pizza crust

1 tbs butter

2 yellow onions

1 tbs sugar

S&P

Olive oil to brush on crust

2 pears sliced thinly

½ cup toasted hazelnuts chopped

1 cup shredded mozzarella

2 TBS crumbled gorgonzola cheese

A couple handfuls of field greens J

First thing we need to do for this pizza is caramelize the onions.  They cook down quite a bit, which is why we’re using 2 whole onions.  Slice the onions thinly and set aside.  Meanwhile, melt butter in large pan over medium heat.  Add onions and sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper.  Toss to coat and lower heat to medium low.  This is a process that takes patience.  There is a point you might think the onions have cooked long enough, but unless they are a true Carmel color, they haven’t.  They won’t be as sweet as you want them to be.  Give them time to release their sugars.  This took me about 20-25 minutes over low/med. Low heat. 

While the onions are getting sweet, unroll the pizza dough onto a pan brush with olive oil and set aside.  Preheat oven according to package directions.

Hazelnuts:  Toast in a dry pan over medium low heat.  The skins will start to slip off.  You can transfer them to a kitchen towel and rub in order to remove the lose skins.  Don’t worry if they don’t all come off.  Give those a pretty rough chop and set aside.

Pears: Core and slice thinly

Once onions are done, it’s time to assemble the pizza.  Place pear slices on the pizza dough so they’re touching. They will shrink while baking. Spread the onions over the pizza, sprinkle with hazelnuts, mozzarella cheese and crumbled gorgonzola.

Bake according to package directions.

While baking, mix a tsp or so of the creamy gorgonzola dressing with the field greens.

Pull from oven and cool just slightly enough to cut.  Plate up the pizza and top with the creamy gorgonzola salad.