Four Cheese Pesto Pizza Food

FOUR-CHEESE PESTO PIZZA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°F.
• Place pita breads on ungreased large cookie sheet. Mix cream cheese and milk until smooth. Spread on pita breads to within 1/4 inch of edge. Gently spread pesto over cream cheese. Top with olives. Sprinkle with cheeses and parsley.
• Bake 7 to 12 minutes or until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted.

CAMERON'S FOUR-CHEESE PIZZA

Steps:

• For the pizza dough: In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4-cup warm water.
• In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour and the salt. Add the oil, the yeast mixture, and the remaining 3/4 cup of water and mix on low speed until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and clusters around the dough hook, about 5 minutes. The pizza dough can also be made in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse once or twice, add the remaining ingredients, and process until the dough begins to form a ball.
• Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand for 2 or 3 minutes longer. The dough should be smooth and firm. Cover the dough with a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for about 30 minutes. When ready, the dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled.
• Divide the dough into 4 balls, about 6 ounces each. Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4 or 5 times. Then on a smooth, unfloured surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the top of the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest 15 to 20 minutes. At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.
• Yield: Makes 4 (8-inch) pizzas
• For the Pizza: Place a pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• To prepare each pizza, dip the ball of dough into flour, shake off the excess flour, place the dough on a clean, lightly floured surface, and start to stretch the dough. Press down on the center, spreading the dough into an 8-inch or 10-inch rounds, with the outer border a little thicker than the inner circle. If you find this difficult to do, use a small rolling pin to roll out the dough. Brush lightly with pesto and scatter the oven-dried tomatoes evenly around the inner circle of the pizza.
• Sprinkle the mozzarella and Fontina, arrange the slices of the Roma tomatoes, and then sprinkle with the goat cheese, oregano, thyme, and finally the Parmesan. Bake on the pizza stone until the pizza crust is nicely browned, about 10 to 12 minutes.
• When the pizza is removed from the oven, transfer to a cutting board and garnish with the chiffonade of basil leaves, cut the pizza into slices, and serve immediately.
• Yield: 1 (10-inch) or 2 (8-inch) pizzas; 3 to 4 servings
• Preheat the over to 250 degrees F.
• In a pot of boiling water, blanch tomatoes. Drain and refresh in ice water. Drain. Peel, core, cut into quarters, and remove seeds.
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the tomato quarters on the tray, cut side down. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with thyme and garlic. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and sugar, and sprinkle evenly over the tomatoes.
• Bake until the tomatoes begin to shrivel, about 1 hour. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, transfer to a container. Pour olive oil over and cover the container. Refrigerate and use as needed.
• In a mortar and pestle, pound the basil, garlic, nuts and salt until thoroughly mashed. Add the oil, a few drops at a time, until you have a smooth paste.
• Pesto can also be made in a blender. Pour in the oil first, then the garlic, nuts, and finally the basil leaves. Blend on low to a smooth paste. Season with the kosher salt.

4-CHEESE FLATBREADS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Mix together the four cheeses and Italian seasoning in a bowl. Place the naan on a sheet pan and spread each piece with a tablespoon of the pesto. Spread the cheese mixture on the naan. Bake until the cheese is melted, bubbly and lightly golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Sprinkle with pepper flakes, if using.

FOUR CHEESE PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Mix the tomatoes with the Parmesan cheese, basil and oregano to make the pizza sauce.
• Place the dough on pizza pan or baking stone. Prebake if desired. Ladle the sauce over the crust; spread evenly. Top pizza with the remaining ingredients. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until the crust is crisp and golden. Cut the pizza into wedges.

EASY PESTO PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Place dough on a lightly floured surface; let rest for 10 minutes. Knead in 1/4 cup cheese, basil and oregano. Roll into a 12-in. circle; place on a greased 14-in. pizza pan. Prick with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes., Spread pesto sauce over the crust. Sprinkle with mushrooms, mozzarella cheese and remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes longer.