California Appetizer Pizza Food

CALIFORNIA PIZZA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°F. Mix tomato sauce, oregano, basil, salt, garlic powder and pepper; set aside. Stir Bisquick mix and cold water until soft dough forms. Pat or roll dough into 12-inch circle on ungreased cookie sheet with hands dusted with Bisquick mix; pinch edge, forming 1/2-inch rim. Or pat dough in 12-inch pizza pan.
• Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cheese over dough. Spread tomato sauce over top. Top with chicken and olives. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly. Garnish with avocado slices.

CALIFORNIA CHICKEN CLUB PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. Grease a 14-in. pizza pan; sprinkle with cornmeal. On a floured surface, roll dough into a 13-in. circle. Transfer to prepared pan; build up edges slightly. Sprinkle with cheese, chicken and bacon. Bake until crust is lightly browned, 10-12 minutes., Meanwhile, place romaine and arugula in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest and pepper. Pour over lettuces; toss to coat. Arrange over warm pizza. Top with tomato, avocado and basil. Serve immediately.

COOL CALIFORNIA PIZZA

Steps:

• Unroll crescent dough and separate into triangles; on a baking stone, arrange dough triangles into a circle with their points toward the center; with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 12-inch circle, pressing seams together to seal.
• Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes or until light golden-brown; remove from oven and cool completely.
• Stir together Parmesan and cream cheeses until smooth; add garlic and half the basil; mix well.
• Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over top of baked crust; top with vegetables and remaining basil; cut into squares.
• NOTE: Two teaspoons dried basil my be used if you don't have fresh basil.

GRILLED CALIFORNIA PIZZAS

Steps:

• For the dough, combine the water, yeast, honey, and olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add 3 cups flour, then the salt, and mix. While mixing, add 1 more cup of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough on low to medium speed for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with flour, if necessary, to keep it from sticking to the bowl.
• When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it several times to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 6 equal parts and roll each one into a smooth ball. Place the balls on a baking sheet and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
• If you've chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature. Roll and stretch each ball into a rough 8-inch circle and place them all on baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. (You will be able to fit 2 pizzas on each 18 by 13-inch baking sheet.)
• Light your grill and wait until it's hot.
• Place the pizzas directly onto the grill and cook on 1 side for 1 minute. Turn the pizzas over and brush with olive oil or garlic oil.
• Top the pizzas with any toppings you wish, piling them high. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Put the lid on your grill and cook for 5 minutes more, until the crust is crisp and the toppings are cooked.

CALIFORNIA APPETIZER PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Unroll crescent dough; separate into 8 triangles.
• On a round baking stone arrange triangles in a circles with points in the center and wide ends toward the outside.
• Using lightly floured rolling pin roll out dough to a 12-inch circle, pressing seams together to seal.
• Bake 12-15 minutes, or until light golden brown.
• Remove from oven; cool completely.
• Mix together avocado, lemon juice, salt, onion and sour cream; mix well.
• Spread mixture evenly over crust.
• Shred cheese over avocado mixture.
• Sprinkle chopped crabmeat and tomato over cheese.
• Snip cilantro and sprinkle over top.
• Cut into squares.

PIZZETTE WITH GORGONZOLA, TOMATO AND BASIL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
• Roll out the pizza dough to 1/4-inch thick. Using a 2 to 2 1/2-inch diameter cookie cutter, cut out 18 circles from the dough. Arrange the circles on a heavy large baking sheet. Sprinkle the Gorgonzola cheese over the circles. Top with the tomatoes, pressing them gently into the dough. Bake until the pizzettes are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Drizzle the pizzettes with oil. Sprinkle the basil over the pizzettes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the pizzettes on a platter and serve immediately.

FAMOUS CALIFORNIA PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Combine yeast, honey, and 1/4 cup warm water in a large bowl with a whisk. Let stand to dissolve, about 10 minutes.
• Add salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, remaining 3/4 cup warm water, and 1 cup flour to the mixture and stir until a batter forms. Add another 1 cup flour; stir to combine. Add 1/2 cup more flour and combine.
• Turn dough out onto a surface dusted with 1/4 cup flour. Knead until a smooth, fairly firm, slightly sticky dough is achieved, adding more flour as needed.
• Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board and pat down with your hand. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Stretch and fold each piece down and under, tucking as you go, to form pizza dough rounds.
• Cover with a towel and let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Dust a baking sheet with cornmeal.
• Transfer dough rounds to a lightly floured board and press each piece out to desired thickness, starting in the center, until 8 to 10 inches wide. Form a crust shape around the outer edges with your fingertips.
• Transfer one round of pizza dough to the prepared baking sheet and brush with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Top with any sauce and toppings you like.
• Bake in the lower rack of the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Move to the center of the oven and continue to bake until golden, about 10 minutes more. Repeat to bake remaining pizzas.