Nutella and Mascarpone Calzone

This is another dessert pizza inspired by David Rocca.  I had never tasted Nutella before and now am feeling very deprived to think I was eating peanut butter sandwiches as a child while other children were enjoying such a decadent spread on their bread!

Crispy Olive Pizza

This pizza could more legitamately be called a flatbread. It had the added bonus of an olive relish to serve with it and both were absolutely delicious.  For the relish I used sundried tomatoes.  If you use the ones packed in oil, heat a bit of the oil in a saucepan and then add some chopped onion and garlic, cooking until tender.  I couldn't find the sundried tomatoes in oil, so I used olive oil.  The next time I prepare this, I will  try Vidalia onions.  I used red onions, but they were pretty strong even after they had been cooked.  I also added about a teaspoon of sugar to the relish because it seemed to need a touch of sweetness.  The Vidalia onion would be mild while at the same time adding the sweetness that was lacking. 

California Club Pizza

This was a great pizza for a hot South Georgia summer evening.  It was almost like having a BLT on a pizza crust and we thoroughly enjoyed every bite.  I prepared my basic pizza dough in the breadmaker.  The recipe called for whole wheat pizza dough, but since Mike's favorite saying is "Fiber makes me sad," I caved in and used the basic dough recipe.

Pizza with Grapes and Pine Nuts

This pizza was inspired by David Rocca, whom I happened to catch on the Cooking Channel one afternoon.  He did a whole episode of pizzas and I was curious to see the way he did them.   There was no confusion on this particular pizza as to whether it is a dessert pizza. . .it most definitely is!  I started this pizza with a basic pizza dough that I had made in the breadmaker and then prebaked for 7 minutes.  While the crust was prebaking I put some pine nuts in the oven with it so they could be toasting.  Watch them carefully!  They burn extremely fast, which I unfortunately learned while ruining my first batch! 

Pear, Pecorino, and Taleggio Pizza

First of all, I must make a disclaimer.  The pizza I made did not have taleggio, a cheese I had never heard of before much less tasted.  I was looking forward to experiencing this new taste treat, but was unable to find it here in Valdosta.  After doing some research on the internet, I decided that fontina would be a suitable substitute.  The pizza I made also did not have pecorino romano.  I have tried pecorino before and didn't really care for it; I thought it had an aftertaste that was somewhat disagreeable.  Parmesan is more to my liking and is quite a bit cheaper. 

Calzone alla Parmigiana

This was my first time ever making calzone (pronounced "cal-zone-ay"; I had to look it up!)  In all honesty, I must admit I don't recall ever having eaten a calzone before. . .huge mistake!!  Preparation of calzone is a bit more involved than pizza, but it wasn't difficult and was well worth the effort. 

Potato Pizza

This is a recipe that is popular in southern Italy and would be great if you have someone in your family that is on a gluten-free diet.  It basically consists of using mashed potatoes as a base for the pizza rather than traditional crust.